Tag: LSU in MLB

Former LSU baseball star Tre Morgan shining in minor leagues

Former LSU first baseman Tre Morgan is one of the top hitters in the minor leagues.

LSU baseball’s 2023 national title team was full of MLB talent. [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] were the first two overall picks with [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] going later in the first round.

Former LSU first baseman [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] went a couple of rounds later, and so far, he’s rewarded the Rays for their pick.

Morgan posted a 1.024 OPS in rookie and low-A ball last year. His hot bat continued into 2024, leading to a quick promotion to high-A. Morgan hasn’t slowed down there as he’s put together his best professional stretch yet.

So far, he’s hitting .452 with a 1.359 OPS for the Bowling Green Hot Rods. In just 11 games, he’s homered twice and drove in 12 runs. He’s walked eight times and struck out only once. Morgan’s been running too, stealing 10 bases in the minors this year.

Morgan has college experience, but he’s putting up these numbers while being over a year younger than the average player in his league.

According to MLB.com. Morgan is the 13th-ranked prospect in the Rays organization.

The potential Morgan is showing with the bat is promising given his already elite defensive skills. The Rays would still like to see Morgan add some power, but it’s hard to be disappointed with the hit tool he’s put on display so far.

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Paul Skenes had strong message to hitters before second start

Paul Skenes had a strong message to hitters before his second major league start vs. the Cubs.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] made his second major league start on Friday afternoon. His stuff looked fine in his first start, but he reached a new level on Friday. He came out firing and struck out the first six batters he faced. Skenes struck out 11 over six innings of no-hit baseball.

With the pitch count getting up there, Skenes finishing the game was unrealistic, so Pirates’ manager Derek Shelton made the decision to pull Skenes.

Before the game, Skenes was asked about hitters having information on his arsenal with Skenes making his major league debut. Skenes didn’t seem too concerned.

“Go ahead and adjust. Good luck,” Skenes said.

Comments like that can backfire, especially when young players say them, but Skenes backed it up with his performance against the Cubs.

Now through 10 innings at the major league level, Skenes has a 2.70 ERA along with 18 strikeouts. So far, he’s delivered on the hype he arrived with.

Skenes’ debut last week was among the most anticipated pitching debuts since Stephen Strasburg’s. That’s a lot of pressure for a rookie, but Skenes is used to the spotlight after leading LSU to a College World Series title last year.

If the Pirates stick to their normal rotation, Skenes’ next start will come against the Giants on Thursday.

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Paul Skenes dominates in 2nd MLB start with Pirates

Paul Skenes was pulled from the game after pitching six dominant innings and allowed zero hits as he struck out 11 hitters and only walked one.

There was a lot of pressure on [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] to perform well in his first outing. He was completing a life-long dream and playing in front of his home crowd. His anxiety had to be through the roof for that game.

For his second start, Skenes was on the road in Chicago.

He settled in just fine during Game 2 and was the man we all know him to be. Skenes was pulled from the game after pitching six dominant innings and allowed zero hits as he struck out 11 hitters and only walked one. His 100th pitch of the game was a 100-mile-per-hour strikeout to Mike Tauchman to get him out of the inning.

To start the game, he struck out the first six hitters of the game. Before the game, Skenes was asked how he looking forward to the challenge of hitters adjusting to him. His response? Good luck!

Between Jared Jones and Paul Skenes the Pittsburgh Pirates have a very solid duo for the future.

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Tre Morgan gets called up to High-A with Tampa Bay Rays organization

Tre Morgan continues to climb the minor league ladder with the Rays.

Former LSU first baseman [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] has received a call-up from the Charleston RiverDogs to the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

Morgan was selected with the 88th pick in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2023, he spent his time with the Rookie League team and with Charleston where he had a .396 batting average in only 14 games.

This season, he started with Charleston and he has had a great year so far. In 26 games he has a .320 batting average with two doubles, one triple, two homers, and 11 RBI. Those numbers have caught the attention of the higher-ups in the Tampa Bay Rays organization and he has been rewarded by sending him up to Bowling Green to play for the Hot Rods.

Charleston is the lower-A affiliate of Tampa Bay and Bowling Green is the High-A affiliate. He is one step closer to the big leagues. His next step would be the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits.

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The best photos from Paul Skenes’ first MLB start with Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes ultimately went four innings in his first start, allowing three runs while striking out seven.

After tearing up the Triple-A ranks to begin the 2024 season, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] finally made his Major League debut on Saturday.

The former first overall pick in the 2023 draft for the Pittsburgh Pirates and top pitching prospect in baseball was called up to The Show to make his first start against the Chicago Cubs.

With his girlfriend, LSU gymnast [autotag]Livvy Dunne[/autotag], in attendance, Skenes had an overall encouraging start. He only lasted four innings as he was pulled after allowing the first two to reach in the fifth, but he ultimately struck out six batters with two walks while allowing six hits and three runs, one of which came on a homer.

Despite an up-and-down showing, he left the Pirates with a 6-4 lead, though he wasn’t eligible for the win as he didn’t pitch five innings.

With Skenes’ first start now under his belt, here are the best photos from the outing.

Paul Skenes makes Major League debut with Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes’ first start was not perfect, but he showed flashes of excellence.

The long-awaited debut of [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] has finally arrived for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Skenes was called up to start against the Chicago Cubs in front of a sold-out crowd at PNC Park on Saturday.

His start to the game was as on-brand as it could possibly be. He struck out the first two hitters he faced before Cody Bellinger drew a walk to get on base. You could tell that the adrenaline was racing for Skenes up on the mound as he was a little wild at times but that is to be expected for someone pitching their first game in the Majors.

Skenes made one big error in his first start. He hung a curveball to Nico Hoerner who deposited it into the stands for a homer. Skenes was pulled from the game in the top of the fifth inning after the first two hitters of the inning reached.

Kyle Nicholas was brought in to get the Pirates out of the inning but after striking out two hitters he walked three straight to tack on two more runs to Skenes’ total. The final line for Skenes was 4.0 innings pitched, six hits, and three runs on seven strikeouts and two walks.

Despite all of that, the Pirates still had a 6-4 lead. Skenes was not eligible for a possible win as he did not complete five innings. His first start was not perfect, but he showed flashes of excellence.

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How to watch former LSU pitcher Paul Skenes make MLB debut with Pirates on Saturday

Paul Skenes has gotten the call-up and will make his Major League debut against the Cubs on Saturday.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] has finally gotten the call-up to The Show. The former LSU star pitcher and 2023 Dick Howser Award winner quickly worked his way through the minors after going first overall in last summer’s draft. After participating in Pittsburgh Pirates spring training, he began the season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, recording a sub-1.00 ERA while striking out 45 of the 105 batters he faced. Now, he’s gotten the callup and will make his Major League debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs for a Pirates team that’s looking for a spark in its starting rotation after starting the year 17-22. They’ll hope that Skenes, the top pitching prospect in baseball, provides that spark. Here’s what you need to know to watch his MLB debut on Saturday against Chicago.

How to Watch

  • Date: Saturday, May 11
  • Time: 3:05 p.m. CT
  • TV: MLB Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Former LSU pitcher Paul Skenes to make MLB debut with Pirates on Saturday

Paul Skenes is finally heading to The Show.

After beginning the season at the Triple-A level, former LSU pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] will finally make his highly anticipated MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

The Pirates announced the decision to call up Skenes from the Toledo Mud Hens on Wednesday afternoon. Now, the former No. 1 overall pick in 2023 and top pitching prospect in baseball is set to take the mound for Pittsburgh for the first time.

A transfer from Air Force, Skenes helped lead LSU to a national title in his lone season in Baton Rouge. He won the Dick Howser Trophy as the national player of the year and was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player.

Skenes has been stellar across seven Triple-A appearances so far this season. He has a 0.99 ERA and has allowed just three earned runs while striking out 45 batters in 27.1 total innings.

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Paul Skenes comes out against robo-umps in Major League Baseball

Paul Skenes is not a fan of the experimental usage of Automatic Ball-Strike systems in Triple-A.

As technology becomes more influential in the game of baseball, we could see some massive changes to how the game is officiated.

Some of those changes have already been adopted in the minor leagues as a test, with Triple-A teams now using an Automatic Ball-Strike system, otherwise known by fans as “robo-umps.” As things currently stand, the first three games of Triple-A series are played with a full ABS system, while the final three games allow empires to call balls and strikes but also allow players to challenge calls using ABS.

The move away from judgment calls by umpires has been controversial, and [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft who is currently pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians, is not a fan.

Skenes, who was previously a two-way player at Air Force and primarily played catcher, said his main opposition is the fact that it takes the skill of catch framing out of the equation.

“For me, I hope that the ABS never gets to the Major Leagues,” Skenes said in a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, per On3. “To be honest, I just don’t like — because I was a catcher too. And if you can receive pitches, that’s job security for catchers. For the longest time, I was hoping that I was going to be a major leaguer behind the plate. That’s a job back there too.”

It seems unlikely we’re going to put the cork back in the bottle when it comes to ABS systems, but it’s clear that not all players are on board with the way things are going.

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Paul Skenes shines in Triple-A start for Indianapolis Indians

Paul Skenes seems to be on the fast track to the majors.

The No. 1 pick in the [autotag]2023 MLB draft[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], made another start for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate, the [autotag]Indianapolis Indians[/autotag], as they took on the Memphis Redbirds and Skenes looked great.

Skenes finished the game after three innings of work where he gave up zero runs on only one hit with six strikeouts and a walk. As you can see in the video below, Skenes was doing what he always does. He was throwing in the triple digits easily and his fastball was hard to hit for Memphis.

Skenes has now made two starts this season for Indianapolis and in six innings he has only allowed one hit while striking out 11 hitters and only walking one. He is the No. 1 prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates system and is likely to make an appearance in the MLB sometime during 2024.

Another top prospect for the Pirates is Jared Jones. He got his first start in the majors recently and he looked great. The future could be bright on the mound for Pittsburgh.

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