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The sound of Paul Skenes’ fastball exploding into a glove at spring training had MLB fans in awe

Paul Skenes throws GAS.

Paul Skenes — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft — has been turning heads already in spring training, and not just because he’s dating Olivia Dunne.

He broke his catcher’s glove earlier this year, and he’s throwing triple-digit gas every time he’s on the mound. And now, @PitchingNinja has shared a video of him throwing a pitch that positively EXPLODES into the mitt of his catcher at spring training. It sounds the same way a Shohei Ohtani home run goes POP off the bat.

You’ve got to hear it below, and there’s some reaction to it with jaws dropping everywhere:

Pirates No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes broke his catcher’s glove with a fastball at spring training

Paul Skenes may be on the fast track to the majors, and he showed why at spring training.

MLB spring training is upon us, and we’ll be able to get our first extended look at Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Paul Skenes, the top pick in the 2023 draft and currently the No. 3 prospect in baseball.

Skenes is getting the opportunity to pitch with the big-league club after he was given a non-roster invite to spring training. It didn’t take him long to show off his ferocious fastball, which routinely hit triple digits even late into starts during his elite 2023 season at LSU.

Just how powerful is Skenes’ fastball? It managed to punch clean through the glove of his throwing partner.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself

Skenes, who won the Dick Howser Trophy as the national college player of the year last spring, has only seen limited professional action to this point in his career.

He pitched one inning in the rookie leagues and three at the Single-A level before he earned a call-up to Double-A. He appeared in two games, pitching 2.2 innings before the Pirates organization shut him down for the season.

Skenes could find himself pitching in the majors by the end of the 2024 season, and he’s looking to make a strong impression on the Pirates in spring training.

It seems he may have already done that.

Paul Skenes named pitcher to watch in spring training by MLB Network

MLB Network has named Paul Skenes as the No. 2 pitcher to watch during spring training.

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft was a right-handed pitcher from LSU. His name, as most of you know, is [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag].

Skenes came to LSU after spending two years as a two-way player at Air Force before betting on his future and transferring to Baton Rouge.

That bet paid off big time for Skenes. He was the ace of the LSU rotation last Spring and he finished the season with a 13-2 record and a 1.69 ERA. In the toughest conference in college baseball, a record and ERA like that is unheard of.

That goes to show just how dominant he was. Skenes was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the first pick of the draft, and he has now received an invite to participate in spring training with the big league team. Skenes has arrived at the spring training facility and everyone wants to take a look at the star pitcher.

MLB Network has named him as the No. 2 pitcher to watch during spring training.

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Paul Skenes heading to Pirates spring training as a non-roster invite

Paul Skenes will get to work with the big-league club after pitching just 6.2 innings in the minors at the end of last season.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] won’t be the only member of LSU’s 2023 national title team who will get the chance to participate in spring training with the big-league club.

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that No. 1 draft pick pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] would also be getting an invite to spring training as a non-roster invite.

After a dominant season as a transfer at LSU, Skenes was taken as the top pick in the draft and only saw slight minor league work toward the end of the season. He was moved up from the rookie leagues to Single-A after one inning pitched, and after tossing three innings in two games, he got the bump up to Double-A.

The Pirates wanted to manage his workload, and he only pitched 2.2 innings. He struggled more at the Double-A level, allowing four earned runs and an ERA above 13.

Still, this move seemingly indicates some hope that Skenes will make his major league debut by the end of the 2024 season, and like Crews, he will hope to make a strong impression in spring ball.

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Two LSU Tigers make the top 5 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list

The No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2023 MLB draft find themselves inside the top five.

MLB Pipeline has put out their 2023 top 100 prospects, and there are two former Tigers in the top five.

The No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2023 MLB draft, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] are the two guys that find themselves inside the top five.

Skenes is listed as the No. 3 prospect on the Top 100 list. Skenes measures in at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds and he was selected as the No. 1 pick in the draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates after going 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA against some of the best teams in the country. Skenes appeared in five games in the Pirates minor leagues after he was drafted and he was shut down until 2024.

Crews is listed as the No. 4 prospect on the top 100 list. Crews measures in at 6-foot, 205 pounds, and he was selected as the No. 2 pick in the Draft by the Washington Nationals after finishing 2023 with a .426 batting average, .567 on-base percentage, and .713 slugging percentage. He hit 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, and had 17 RBI. Crews appeared in 35 games after he was drafted and had a .292 batting average.

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Paul Skenes named top right-handed pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline

Paul Skenes took a bet on himself and decided to pursue becoming a pitcher in the MLB.

Just like everyone thought, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft is ranked as the No. 1 right-handed pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] transferred to LSU after spending two years at Air Force. Instead of staying with the Falcons, Skenes took a bet on himself and decided to pursue becoming a pitcher in the MLB. That plan worked out perfectly as Skenes won a national championship with LSU and finished the game with a 13-2 record and a 1.69 ERA. He struck out 209 batters and only walked 20 during his only year on the Bayou.

Those stats led to Skenes being selected as the No. 1 pick in the draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates needed starting pitching so they picked the best pitcher in the NCAA. Skenes made five appearances in the minor leagues after getting drafted before he was shut down until 2024.

MLB Pipeline has ranked Skenes as the No. 1 right-handed pitching prospect and they even gave him an ETA of 2024. Their experts believe that we will see Skenes pitching in Pittsburgh this year.

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Former LSU pitcher named Rookie of the Year candidate

Jim Callis has listed a former Tiger as a potential favorite.

MLB Pipeline has just released its favorites for the 2024 MLB Rookie of the Year award, and senior writer Jim Callis has listed a former Tiger as a potential favorite.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], is the man that Callis has tabbed as the next possible MLB Rookie of the Year. Skenes was the ace for the LSU Tigers on their run to the first National Championship under [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag].

Skenes transferred to LSU after spending a couple of years pitching for the Air Force in a move he chose to make to “bet on himself.” That decision paid off as Skenes finished the season with a 12-2 record and a 1.69 ERA. He started in 19 games for the Tigers and pitched 122.2 innings while striking out 209 hitters and only walking 20.

Those numbers led to him being selected with the No. 1 overall pick of the Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Skenes will try to crack the big league roster this year and possibly win the Rookie of the Year award.

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A Phillies fan tried to bring his emotional support alligator into a game

Well, this is different.

Baseball can make people do many things — yell, scream, and even cry. It can also make a Philadelphia Phillies fan attempt to bring their emotional support alligator to a game.

Fans can sometimes their animal best friends to baseball games. It’s not unusual to look over and see a dog taking in the sights or a special day dedicated to cats. However, there isn’t a precise space for alligators to join the fun. Joie Henney, a Phillies fan, decided they would lead the charge.

Henney owns an emotional support alligator named WallyGator. According to Maria McIlwain of The Philadelphia Inquirer, WallyGator helps Henny battle depression. The gator is very affectionate and “likes to give hugs” and doesn’t bite people who pet it.

Unfortunately, Henney was told Wednesday that the alligator could not enter Citizens Bank Park. WallyGator would have to watch the Phillies versus the Pittsburgh Pirates at home.

Maybe one day, they’ll be a reptile zone. For now, see you later, alligator.

The Pirates’ Ke’Bryan Hayes called out umpire Bill Miller after a horrific call led to a strikeout

This was a terrible call and Ke’Bryan Hayes had every right to be upset.

There have been a lot of bad calls in baseball this year, from terrible strikeouts to umpires forgetting to reset the pitch clock and misremembering the count. And now, add this 3-1 strike call from umpire Bill Miller to the running tally of dreadful missteps this season.

On Sunday, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes was facing Atlanta Braves pitcher A.J. Minter in the top of the eighth inning, with the home team holding a 5-2 lead. On the 3-1 count, it seemed as if Hayes was set to go to first on a walk thanks to a ball outside the zone. However, Miller called it a strike, keeping Hayes in the batter’s box on a pitch that was definitely not a strike.

See for yourself!

Not only that, the missed 3-1 strike call led to Hayes striking out mere moments later, ending the inning for the Pirates and cutting off any chance of an eighth inning comeback.

After the game, Hayes took to Twitter to express his frustrations with Miller’s call, even stating that the umpire brushed off his attempts to hold him accountable.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see a fine tossed Hayes’ way for his candid comments about Miller’s call and umpires as a whole. MLB fans, on the other hand, appreciated how honest Hayes was in his assessment of Miller’s call.