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It's absolutely insane to hear that people are a bit disappointed with Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, but this is the type of stuff that simply happens when a player is one of the greatest of all time.
Skenes, only 24 years old and just turning 24 at the end of May, is undoubtedly one of the best young pitchers Major League Baseball has ever seen. Frankly, I don't think there's a better starter in the game, and I completely expect him to continue dominating hitters at the highest level for a very long time, as long as injuries allow him to stay on the mound.
Still, for Skenes' standards, he hasn't exactly been as great as he typically is. Over the past few seasons, he posted ERAs of 1.96 in 2024 and 1.97 in 2025. Compared to his 3.62 ERA this season, this isn't the same pitcher that we're used to seeing.
However, fans being upset is outrageous to me, and I think skipper Don Kelly really brought up a good point about why some feel the way they do.
“It just speaks to the talent he’s got and expectations that are a little bit elevated for him,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “And he set that bar with what he did the first two years. And there’s nobody who expects more out of Paul Skenes than Paul Skenes expects out of himself. And when we talk about his ‘down’ starts, they’re still pretty good.”
Skenes also admitted that it isn't easy to keep the outside noise quiet, but I understand that he's been doing this for a very long time and needs to just keep doing what he's done.
“It's really easy to let outside stuff kind of creep in,” Skenes said, per MLB.com. “I'm not perfect at it, by any means. Nobody is. But I’ve had a few years and kind of figured out a good routine to mitigate that as much as possible.”
If this continues, I can understand why some fans might be a bit upset, but I'd start slowing down for now. Skenes is still very good and has undoubtedly been one of the better starters in baseball this season.
Continue reading...
Skenes, only 24 years old and just turning 24 at the end of May, is undoubtedly one of the best young pitchers Major League Baseball has ever seen. Frankly, I don't think there's a better starter in the game, and I completely expect him to continue dominating hitters at the highest level for a very long time, as long as injuries allow him to stay on the mound.
Still, for Skenes' standards, he hasn't exactly been as great as he typically is. Over the past few seasons, he posted ERAs of 1.96 in 2024 and 1.97 in 2025. Compared to his 3.62 ERA this season, this isn't the same pitcher that we're used to seeing.
However, fans being upset is outrageous to me, and I think skipper Don Kelly really brought up a good point about why some feel the way they do.
“It just speaks to the talent he’s got and expectations that are a little bit elevated for him,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “And he set that bar with what he did the first two years. And there’s nobody who expects more out of Paul Skenes than Paul Skenes expects out of himself. And when we talk about his ‘down’ starts, they’re still pretty good.”
Skenes also admitted that it isn't easy to keep the outside noise quiet, but I understand that he's been doing this for a very long time and needs to just keep doing what he's done.
“It's really easy to let outside stuff kind of creep in,” Skenes said, per MLB.com. “I'm not perfect at it, by any means. Nobody is. But I’ve had a few years and kind of figured out a good routine to mitigate that as much as possible.”
If this continues, I can understand why some fans might be a bit upset, but I'd start slowing down for now. Skenes is still very good and has undoubtedly been one of the better starters in baseball this season.
Continue reading...
