Paul Skenes Isn't Pirates' Best Award Candidate

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Paul Skenes Isn't Pirates' Best Award Candidate originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

While Paul Skenes would gladly trade awards season for the MLB postseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace is doing a nice job with his trophy room. His haul includes the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Award and 2025 NL Cy Young Award.

But the 24-year-old right-hander might not be the club's most likely awards candidate by the end of the 2026 season. The Athletic's Johnny Flores Jr. gives that honor to second baseman Brandon Lowe, bestowing upon him a National League Silver Slugger Award.

"Let me preface this by saying, Konnor Griffin will almost certainly get down-ballot Rookie of the Year votes, and counting out Paul Skenes for the Cy Young would be ill-advised," Flores notes.

"Instead, allow me to highlight a rare drought that could end this season. The Pirates have not had a Silver Slugger winner since Andrew McCutchen in 2015. It’s the longest active drought for that award among all teams. Even the Rockies, White Sox and Marlins have had a more recent winner than Pittsburgh," Flores adds.

"The only Pirate to win at second base was one Johnny Ray in 1983. Lowe can change that, but it’s going to take a strong finish. ... Lowe leads (qualified NL second basemen) in homers and slugging percentage by a comfortable margin," Flores says. "That Pittsburgh could end an awards and playoff drought in the same season is all the more reason to watch the club."

To that end, the Pirates are No. 8 in The Athletic's latest MLB Power Rankings and sit in second place in the NL Central, 5.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. Pittsburgh also is tied for first place in the NL Wild Card Standings.

FanGraphs gives the Pirates a 62.7% chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

As for the 31-year-old Lowe, who Pittsburgh acquired in December through a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros, he leads the Pirates with 15 home runs this season. ESPN projects Lowe will hit 40 home runs, which would be a career-high for the two-time All-Star.

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