Breaking: Pirates Call 22-Year-Old Outstanding Talent to Start MLB All-Star Game…
One year after leading LSU to a national championship, Paul Skenes has taken baseball by storm. Skenes, who flew through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league system after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft, is setting multiple records in the early months of his career.
With the MLB All-Star Game approaching, there’s growing buzz about Skenes possibly playing for the National League. ESPN’s Jeff Passan has gone a step further, passionately advocating for Skenes to start the game, which will be held in Arlington, Texas, later this month.
Passan issued a fervent call during the All-Star Reveal Show: “I urge Torrey Lovullo, the manager of the National League team, to pick Paul Skenes to start. If the goal is to get eyeballs on this game, to create an exciting moment for baseball fans, then having Paul Skenes face off against Gunnar Henderson, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto is a fantastic way to do it.”
A Closer Look at Paul Skenes’ Rookie Year
Skenes has been electric at the start of his major league career. Through his first 10 starts, he has a perfect 5-0 record and a 2.12 ERA. On Friday, he set a new MLB record with his ninth start with at least seven strikeouts, the most in history through a pitcher’s first 10 games.
Skenes has faced some of the best hitters in baseball since his call-up in May. One of his most notable showdowns was against two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, who struck out on one of Skenes’ famous 100 mph fastballs.
Mookie Betts also struck out against Skenes and later offered high praise for the rookie on his podcast. Betts highlighted the excitement surrounding the Pirates star and affirmed that Skenes is worth the attention.
“You’ve got the whole arsenal,” Betts said on his On Base with Mookie Betts podcast. “I mean, I turn on college baseball now, and these dudes are all throwing 95-plus. It wasn’t like that before. So as long as they can fine-tune it and get into pro ball, especially a guy like Skenes, sitting at 100 mph… I think he is worth the hype.”
Leave a Reply