Skenes (3 IP, 4 K's) brings the heat in '25 spring debut

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The next chapter in the career of Paul Skenes put pen to paper on Saturday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium.

The reigning National League Rookie of the Year took the bump for the first time in 2025 after his scheduled debut earlier this spring was rained out.

Across three innings during Pittsburgh's 5-2 win over the Orioles, Skenes struck out four, allowed four hits, issued one walk and allowed one run. His patented fastball consistently touched 99 mph.

Skenes picked up right where he left off last season, striking out Cedric Mullins on a sinker to start the bottom of the first. He then allowed a hard single to Adley Rutschman and walked Ryan O’Hearn on four pitches. A soft dribbler to Skenes off the bat of Ryan Mountcastle saw Skenes get an out at second, but Rutschman came around to score on a Nick Solak throwing error as he tried to turn a double play.

Skenes fanned back-to-back hitters swinging to end the first and start the second. He ended his outing by sitting down Ramón Laureano for the second time.

“I thought it was pretty good,” Skenes said of his outing and working a new cutter and two-seam fastball into his repertoire. “It’s kind of just what happens -- body speeds up when you get in a game. That can either make your misses smaller or bigger, and I think there were both at times today. It’s not going to be perfect, [I've] just got to get out there in front of fans and get going.”

Skenes will solidly be atop the rotation for manager Derek Shelton, who said prior to Saturday’s contest vs. the Orioles that Skenes would be working on complementary pitches to his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fastball, and that’s what Skenes did.

“You’ve just got to mix it in. Learn some stuff about it. But it’s going to be good, I think,” Skenes said. “The lineup is kind of irrelevant a little bit when you’re working on new stuff, and when you’re working on trying to figure out how they affect each other. The biggest thing was just getting in the zone and seeing where we’re at.”

Skenes threw 53 pitches on Saturday, 30 for strikes. He said it was a great feeling to get up and down against a live lineup.

“My experience is [that] the hard transition is going from three to four [innings], but I was a little bit surprised at how easy it was today to get up for a third time,” Skenes said.

Skenes has experienced a meteoric rise since he entered camp last year as a non-roster invitee that tossed just three innings last spring.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft came highly touted, and rightfully so. But history has shown things don’t always pan out as organizations and players hope they do. At this point, it’s safe to say Skenes has shown he has the right stuff, and that’s an understatement.

Since he was called up to the big leagues last season and made his debut on May 11, the 22-year-old has been the most electric pitcher in baseball. His 23 starts were must-see TV for the baseball world, not just Pirates fans. The 6-foot-6 right-hander did not disappoint, either. He posted a 1.96 ERA over 133 innings, striking out 170 batters and regularly lighting up the radar gun to triple digits.

He also made history along the way. Skenes was just the fifth rookie hurler to start an All-Star Game, the first since 1995, and he did so after just 11 Major League starts. He was also the first player to be named an All-Star in the season after he was drafted.

Skenes also set a Pittsburgh rookie record for strikeouts and finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting with a record of 11-3.

Perhaps the most advantageous aspect of coming into his second year with the Pirates is that Skenes knows his role. He knows where he stands. He knows what’s expected.

Last year, Skenes fired his four-seam fastball more than any other pitch, with a usage rate of 39%. He utilized a splinker 28% of the time, followed by his curve (11%), sweeper (10%), slider (6%) and changeup (5%).

Rutschman, who singled and lined out against Skenes, shared a bit about what he saw in the box on Saturday.

"It’s firm. It’s on you,” the All-Star catcher said. “I got to see the majority of his pitches today, and he forces you to make quick decisions. He’s working both sides of the zone, and his pitches are really good. You can definitely see it.

"I had one AB off him last Spring Training, and then two more today. He’s obviously a phenomenal pitcher, and you can see why. He gets after guys. He’s a good pitcher."

Skenes’ strikeout percentage (33.1%) was in the 95th percentile in MLB according to Baseball Savant, with the flamethrower averaging 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings last season and a .947 WHIP. When it comes to his pitching run value and fastball run value (how effective a pitch is in terms of the opposition scoring runs) Skenes sits in the 99th percentile.

Skenes has already said he’s working on being more efficient during camp, and he wants to bring that into the regular season. The more efficient he can be -- particularly with his pitch count -- the more he can be a difference-maker for a club looking to parlay its young talent into a winner.

When asked how a few new pitches could help with efficiency, Skenes said it’s yet to be seen.

“I think it’ll help. I don’t know to what degree yet,” he said. “I've just got to make my misses a little bit smaller and establish presence in the zone. It’s the [same approach], just different ways to do it.”

The game was sold out on Saturday, not just with Orioles fans eager to see their talented young team, but with a smattering of yellow jerseys, too, many with Skenes' No. 30 on the back. Skenes has transcended the game over the past calendar year, from his personal life to collectors vying for his rookie cards that are setting records.

In fact, his 1-of-1 Topps Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card, pulled by an 11-year-old collector, is set to go to auction this month and is expected to fetch at least six figures for charity.

Whatever Skenes does in 2025, the baseball realm will be locked in to see what echelon the superstar can reach next.