As Pittsburgh Pirates fans watch their team in spring training, all eyes will be on reigning Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. The flamethrowing right-hander knows the expectations on his shoulders. But Skenes is ready to shoulder them all.
While he showed plenty of skill as a rookie, spring training will give Skenes a greater opportunity to refine his skills. And with a likely Opening Day start coming, he’ll use this time to fully prepare. Before his starts his first spring training game, Skenes hit Pirates fans with a fiery two-word message.
“Heating up,” Skenes wrote on his Instagram account.
The account was accompanied with four pictures of Skenes getting some work in. Even his star studded girlfriend Livvy Dunne left a cute comment, “knew something felt hot in here,” to show her support. But Dunne isn’t the only one ready to see Skenes light up the radar gun again.
Over his 23 games at the major league level, the righty pitched to an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA and a 170/32 K/BB ratio. While he didn’t qualify, Skenes would have led the league in ERA. He also ranked 33rd in strikeouts, despite pitching just 133 innings. Overall, Skenes is now the leader in Pittsburgh’s rotation and will be expected to only reach greater heights in 2025.
Still, no matter how talented he is, Skenes can’t do it alone. Even with his dominant rookie performance, the Pirates finished 2024 ranked 20th in ERA with a 4.15 mark. The team will need players such as Jared Jones and Mitch Keller to continue developing alongside Skenes.
In spring training at least, fans can at least day dream about a successful Pirates season. While the team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015, they’ve collecting a trove of talented prospect. Skenes is leading Pittsburgh’s rebirth and is ready to continue his dominance next time he steps on the mound.
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