Skenes Gears Up for Sophomore Season with Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. – Paul Skenes’ first Major League Spring Training was a waiting game. This year, it's all systems go.
After a historic rookie season that saw him claim the National League Rookie of the Year award and finish third in Cy Young voting, Skenes has entered his second big-league camp with a clear mission: to build on his success and take his performance to the next level.
Last year, the Pirates took a cautious approach, delaying Skenes’ Major League debut until May and treating his initial time in the minors as an extended Spring Training. The results validated their patience, as the right-hander went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and set a franchise rookie strikeout record with 170 punchouts over 23 starts. Now, expectations are even higher.
Skenes has fine-tuned his approach in the offseason, working on new pitch variations, including a two-seam fastball and a cutter, aimed at creating more difficult swing decisions for hitters. These additions complement an already dominant arsenal that overwhelmed big-league batters last season.
Beyond refining his pitch mix, Skenes has embraced a key focus of this year’s camp—efficiency. By cutting down on long at-bats and limiting deep counts, he hopes to increase his workload and extend his time on the mound each outing. With the Pirates counting on him for a full season in the rotation, the ability to pitch deeper into games will be critical.
As Pittsburgh’s young pitching staff continues to develop, Skenes has also acknowledged his role in elevating the entire group. With fellow starters Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter, and Johan Oviedo returning, competition within the rotation could push the unit to new heights.
From prized prospect to potential Opening Day starter, Skenes’ trajectory has been nothing short of meteoric. Now, as he embarks on Year 2, the challenge is no longer proving he belongs—it’s establishing himself as a frontline ace capable of leading the Pirates back to contention.
The journey that began last August has arrived at its next chapter. And this time, there’s no slow build-up—only the expectation that Skenes will be the force Pittsburgh envisioned when they drafted him.