Pittsburgh Pirates’ prized prospect, Paul Skenes, lived up to his top draft billing when he was chosen as the No. 1 pick out of LSU in June.
Displaying his dominance, Skenes breezed through four scoreless innings during brief stints in the Florida Complex League and the Florida State League. Following an impressive three innings in Single-A, he earned a promotion to Double-A.
Paul Skenes Double-A debut:
0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO pic.twitter.com/oFSaMh6sfl
— Milb Central (@milb_central) August 26, 2023
This ascent through the Pirates’ minor league ranks culminated on Monday, as Skenes was set to make his debut with the Altoona Curve. Despite high hopes, the outing did not unfold as planned for the former LSU standout, as the challenge of Double-A proved more formidable than anticipated.
Skenes struggled, lasting a mere 2/3 of an inning against the Akron RubberDucks, conceding four earned runs. This difficult outing included three hits and two walks.
In spite of the adversity, there were bright spots in Skenes’ debut. He managed to notch a couple of strikeouts amidst the less-than-ideal performance, bringing his professional total to seven.
Adding to the significance of the moment, his girlfriend Olivia Dunne, a prominent LSU gymnast, was present during his Single-A debut and once again showed her support at the Double-A game.
@livvy
While Skenes encountered a rough start, he did manage to secure a couple of strikeouts. Moreover, Olivia, affectionately known as Livvy, captured some engaging “go baseball” content on TikTok.
Skenes faces a learning curve as he readies himself for a more polished showing in his next encounter with Double-A competition. Such challenges are an integral part of the minor league journey, fostering growth and development within players’ games.
Though enduring a less-than-ideal debut, Skenes’ situation could have been worse. Failing to complete a full inning or failing to garner any strikeouts while also coming up empty on TikTok would have been a far more catastrophic outcome.