When [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] was called up in May, hopes were high, but nobody imagined this. Skenes was always expected to be an ace, but not this soon. So far, he’s blown every expectation out of the water.
Skenes isn’t just one of the best rookies, he’s not just one of the best pitchers in the National League, but he’s one of the best pitchers in the entirety of professional baseball.
Among major league pitchers with 60 or more innings, Skenes ranks second with a 1.90 ERA and leads all pitchers with a 29.8% K/BB ratio. When Skenes takes the mound, it’s fair to expect a dominant performance. That’s the mark of an ace.
Despite the low innings count, Skenes deserves to be in the Cy Young conversation. The betting market agrees too with Skenes’ Cy Young odds now sitting third in the NL.
In this day and age, organizations are careful with young pitchers. The Pirates are holding on to wild card contention right now, but if Pittsburgh slips, Skenes could be shut down in September.
At this rate, Skenes could barely cross the innings minimum as it is. That could make winning the award tough, but Corbin Burnes won it with just 167 innings in 2021. This isn’t the past, where a pitcher needed 200 innings or more to be considered for the award.
For Skenes to win, a couple of things need to happen. First, he needs to continue to add the incredible value he is now. His stuff has been in a different league than anyone else in the NL. He needs to maintain that pace.
Next, he needs to propel the Pirates further into the playoff mix. If Pittsburgh is competing for a playoff spot down the stretch with Skenes locking in a win every five days, that would go a long way to building the narrative. That’s what these awards are about anyway.
Skenes has the media juice to win it. On Friday, he was named the starting pitcher for the NL in the all-star game, the first rookie to do so since 1995.
Skenes won’t throw seven innings of no-hit baseball every time he takes the mound. Hitters will catch up at some point and Skenes will be forced to adjust, but this is a game of adjustments and great players find a way to make it work.
Heading into the all-star break, Skenes is the hottest player in baseball. It’s a tall task to continue at this pace, but if he does, Skenes is absolutely a Cy Young contender.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.