In 2024, the Pittsburgh Pirates unleashed starting pitcher Paul Skenes on an unsuspecting league. The 22-year-old hurler was dominating the majors less than one year after pitching in college. In a remarkable first season in the bigs, Skenes was named the NL starter for the All-Star Game, he finished third in Cy Young Award voting and he took home Rookie of the Year honors.
Now one of MLB’s best pitchers has added to his already intimidating arsenal, giving him an almost unfair advantage. Skenes had an opportunity to show off his new stuff in his first Grapefruit League game of the year. And his “new cutter might be a problem,” according to Talkin’ Baseball on X.
Paul Skenes’ new cutter might be a problem pic.twitter.com/PFbPw5ES1c
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 1, 2025
Baltimore Orioles’ first baseman Ryan O’Hearn was the unfortunate victim of Skenes’ filthy cutter in a clip that quickly spread as opposing batters watched in horror.
Skenes already had great stuff, as evidenced by his 1.96 ERA, 214 ERA+, 0.947 WHIP and 11.5 K/9 last season. He rang up 170 batters in 133 innings for the Pirates in 2204. The NL RoY winner boasts a four-seam fastball that reaches triple digits, a slider with horizontal movement and a “splinker” that combines his slider with a splitter.
Pirates fans are in for a fun season with Paul Skenes developing new pitches
Now the Pirates’ phenom is adding a devastating-looking cutter and a two-seam fastball to his repertoire. And in addition to the new pitches, Skenes intends to significantly increase his innings in 2025, stating that he’ll be prepared to toss 240 innings for Pittsburgh this season.
Despite Skenes’ remarkable efforts, the Pirates went just 76-86 in 2024, missing the postseason for the ninth consecutive year. The team hasn’t won a playoff series since beating the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card round in 2013, when Skenes was 11 years old.
But Pirates manager Derek Shelton has talked up the team’s roster, with a particular emphasis on Pittsburgh’s pitching talent. Skenes is the leader of a young and improving rotation that Pirates fans hope will help the squad finally snap its playoff drought.
Despite entering just his second season in the majors, Skenes is already ranked fourth in our list of the 50 best MLB players for the 2025 season. At the very least, Pirates fans know that every fifth day Skenes will give the team a chance. And with new weapons in his pitching arsenal, Skenes’ starts will be must-watch events in his sophomore season.
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