Paul Skenes is an absolute prodigy on the mound.
Anyone who followed him at LSU knew that he would 100% translate to being a dominant pitcher in the Major Leagues.
You certainly can’t say that about everyone, no matter how impressive they are in high school or college … But there’s just something different about Skenes.
Drafted first-overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in last year’s MLB Draft, Skenes has yet to crack the Pirates big league roster.
On one hand, you can understand the patience that Pittsburgh is displaying. They want Skenes to develop without being pushed too hard or too prematurely.
However, like I said, Skenes is not your typical young pitcher … He’s ready. And he’s ready now.
Jeff Passan of ESPN certainly agrees with that statement.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Passan was asked when the Pirates will finally call Skenes up to the Majors.
“I hope the answer is soon because I would like to see him in the big leagues soon,” Passan expressed during the show. “He’s clearly ready. Honestly, he was ready the day he was drafted, he should have been dropped into the big leagues.”
When pressed about the possibility of the Pirates delaying Skenes’ promotion to extend their control over him, Passan dispelled such notions, indicating that the deadline for such a strategy had already lapsed.
“No, they’re already past the day,” Passan asserted. “Paul Skenes is nasty, he absolutely should be with the Pirates now. And I think it’s probably going to happen sooner than later.”
“The next deadline to hold him down would be until like June, if you want to keep him from getting an extra year of arbitration, which is gonna bump his salary by you know potentially over the course of the four arbitration seasons, like $10 plus million.”
“So if you want to save that much, we do know that ownership. If you tell them they could save $10 million potentially, they’re gonna do the best they can to save that $10 million.”
There’s nothing worse in sports than a cheap owner.
Pirate fans have suffered for decades. Finally, they have a prodigy on their hands, and they want to see him. The last thing they want is for him to be held back for financial reasons.
This type of thinking and approach is what has turned so many fans away from baseball.
At the end of the day, it seems like you can count on two hands (max) the amount of organizations who are actually trying to win.
With Pittsburgh off to a surprising 11-8 start, Pirate fans (and players) are hoping to see Skenes as soon as possible.
What are your thoughts on Skenes?
When will the Pirates FINALLY call him up?
Will he end up being the best pitcher in all of baseball? … How soon?
Is it only a matter of time before he’s a Yankee or Dodger??? (Sorry Pitt fans.)
