A Deep Dive into Paul Skenes MLB Debut
A Deep Dive into Paul Skenes MLB Debut
The most anticipated MLB pitching debut since Stephen Strasburg is now in the rear view mirror. Let's analyze it.
Stephen Strasburg was the first overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. After soaring through the farm ranks much like Paul Skenes did, Strasburg made his Major League debut on June 8, 2010.
Ironically against Skenes’ future Pittsburgh Pirates, the Nationals Ace wowed the D.C. crowd twirling 7 innings of 2-run ball scattering just 4 hits. It was a dominant performance from the first pitch.
Most remarkably, Strasburg fanned 14 batters — the second most in a Major League debut behind J.R. Richard in 1971, and Karl Spooner of the Dodgers in 1954, who each punched out 15.
But this piece isn’t about Strasburg. You clicked on this because of Skenes.
The Good
The attendance.
When hype arrives in a city, crowds will follow. And the city of Pittsburgh is STARVED of something to be excited about baseball-wise. According to Arving Gonzalez of X, the paid attendance for the LSU product’s debut was 34,924. The Pirates are getting less than 17,000 fans a night on average. I’m no mathematician, but that seems more than doubled to me.
Skenes made Pirates fans get into their cars or hop on the transit and head toward PNC Park on an afternoon when it was supposed to downpour.
The velocity.
It’s no secret that Skenes throws gas; it’s what he was drafted for. The ball was flying out of his hand. Skenes chucked 18 of the 21 hardest pitches thrown on Saturday’s game, including the 6 hardest. The other three were thrown by Aroldis Chapman — the guy who holds the record for the fastest pitch in MLB history.
The RHP used his flaming fastball 39% of the time, working a slider and “splinker” off of it. These three pitches accumulated most of his daily arsenal and contributed to 14 whiffs and 7 strikeouts. Skenes got half of his whiffs via the splinker.
His stuff undoubtedly plays at the Big League level.
Skenes.
For the most part, the 6’6” rookie was solid. The only run Skenes allowed when he was on the mound was a 380-foot Nico Hoerner home run that wasn’t even the 6th furthest-hit ball of the contest.
Thanks to some lackluster relief pitching, he worked a final stat line of 4 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 7 K, and 2 BB.
The Pirates won the game 10-to-9.
The Bad
Traffic on the bases.
Skenes allowed three free passes during his debut: plunking a batter and walking a pair. Over just 4+ innings, this was rather high for Skenes as his BB/9 ratio in Triple-A this season was 2.63. I’m sure the adrenaline of a Major League debut affected him. No one is made of stone.
His WHIP ended up finishing at 2.00 for the day.
Christopher Morel.
The Cubs veteran third baseman got the best of Skenes, hammering a single at 108.4 mph, and a flyout (with a .970 xBA) at 107.5 mph. It’s worth noting that Morel has an OPS of .955 this May, including 4 home runs — he’s on some kind of tear.
The pressure.
As mentioned, Skenes ended up allowing 3 ER across his first 4 MLB innings. This results in his ERA registering at 6.75. An outpour of comments across social media platforms has already attacked the Fullerton, CA native.
If anybody heavily judges 4 innings of a 21-year-old making his Major League debut, they don’t quite understand how being a starting pitcher in baseball works.
Skenes will be fine. He was able to work through a bases-loaded jam in the second inning and threw 64% strikes averaging 100.1 mph. The Pirates have a plethora of young arms that ooze talent, and Skenes is right at the top. Give him time.