'Good to go:' Skenes showcases adjustments in final start
As Paul Skenes left the field at LECOM Park this afternoon, he stopped along the gate in the right-field corner as kids of all ages lined up with their arms stretched out holding balls, gloves and hats hoping for the Pirates’ opening day pitcher to choose them for his next autograph.
One minute turned to two, which turned into five, and soon enough Skenes had spent about 20 minutes signing autographs, making sure everyone got their turn. He paused a few times, but one by one, he worked through the line.
“I remember being in their shoes, so hopefully it's pretty impactful,” Skenes said. “Obviously to sign their stuff and things like that is great, but hopefully they know that it's possible to be in this position."
That’s the type of attention that Skenes has attracted this spring. While staying focused on the task at hand and preparing for his first full season at the major-league level, he’s fulfilled hundreds of media obligations that can sometimes be overwhelming. But, everything has stayed consistent for the All-Star ace and he’s put himself in the perfect position to perform in his first opening day start on March 27 against the Marlins in Miami.
To conclude his spring, Skenes worked 3 1/3 innings while striking out four, walking one and allowing one hit, a double to Ryan O’Hearn on a 98 mph fastball at the bottom of the zone. It was an efficient outing as he threw 51 pitches and 33 strikes. He threw five different pitches, according to Baseball Savant, and drew 24 swings with nine whiffs.
"I thought it was good. I think he was effective. He was in the zone. He was in attack mode, which was good to see,” Derek Shelton said of Skenes’ final start. “I think at times during the spring, you could tell he was working on things, which is really rare for a 23-year-old who is in his first full spring training. But today it looked like, 'Ok, now I'm going to pitch. I'm going to show you my stuff. I'm going to go right after you,' and I thought he did a really good job. He was extremely efficient. He was in the zone. He was ahead a lot, which is important for his last outing before opening day."
Skenes has been looking to accomplish several different things since arriving at Pirate City in early February. First, it was mastering the addition of his new sinker and cutter. Then, he approached his starts with the goal of being more efficient. Lastly, as the Grapefruit League schedule carried on, he found himself adjusting to how to approach hitters during spring training.
The defending National League Rookie of the Year accomplished all of that as he threw 18 innings over five starts while registering a 2.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts. He gave up 18 hits and walked nine hitters and recorded a spring-high seven strikeouts against the Twins during his fourth start earlier this week.
“I think we did a good job in the offseason and during spring training, just building the body up,” Skenes said. “I think the biggest thing that I wasn't anticipating was kinda the challenge of understanding spring training approaches versus during the season. More than anything, I think we learned what the next spring training will be like and what to expect there. But it was good to get all the stuff going and feel good. I'm good to go."
A year ago at this time, Skenes was being held back as the organization built up his volume and prepared for him to start the year with Class AAA Indianapolis. Now, with a stellar rookie season behind him, Skenes is the Pirates' opening day starter and is set to pick up where he left off last season and he's ready for it.
"It's going to feel really different going from Bradenton to Miami, rather than back up to Pittsburgh," Skenes said. "Ready to go for sure. Spring training is this long for a reason. We need this much time to tune up. But yeah, it's exciting."
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
8:47 pm - 03.22.2025Bradenton, Fla.'Good to go:' Skenes showcases adjustments in final start
As Paul Skenes left the field at LECOM Park this afternoon, he stopped along the gate in the right-field corner as kids of all ages lined up with their arms stretched out holding balls, gloves and hats hoping for the Pirates’ opening day pitcher to choose them for his next autograph.
One minute turned to two, which turned into five, and soon enough Skenes had spent about 20 minutes signing autographs, making sure everyone got their turn. He paused a few times, but one by one, he worked through the line.
“I remember being in their shoes, so hopefully it's pretty impactful,” Skenes said. “Obviously to sign their stuff and things like that is great, but hopefully they know that it's possible to be in this position."
That’s the type of attention that Skenes has attracted this spring. While staying focused on the task at hand and preparing for his first full season at the major-league level, he’s fulfilled hundreds of media obligations that can sometimes be overwhelming. But, everything has stayed consistent for the All-Star ace and he’s put himself in the perfect position to perform in his first opening day start on March 27 against the Marlins in Miami.
To conclude his spring, Skenes worked 3 1/3 innings while striking out four, walking one and allowing one hit, a double to Ryan O’Hearn on a 98 mph fastball at the bottom of the zone. It was an efficient outing as he threw 51 pitches and 33 strikes. He threw five different pitches, according to Baseball Savant, and drew 24 swings with nine whiffs.
"I thought it was good. I think he was effective. He was in the zone. He was in attack mode, which was good to see,” Derek Shelton said of Skenes’ final start. “I think at times during the spring, you could tell he was working on things, which is really rare for a 23-year-old who is in his first full spring training. But today it looked like, 'Ok, now I'm going to pitch. I'm going to show you my stuff. I'm going to go right after you,' and I thought he did a really good job. He was extremely efficient. He was in the zone. He was ahead a lot, which is important for his last outing before opening day."
Skenes has been looking to accomplish several different things since arriving at Pirate City in early February. First, it was mastering the addition of his new sinker and cutter. Then, he approached his starts with the goal of being more efficient. Lastly, as the Grapefruit League schedule carried on, he found himself adjusting to how to approach hitters during spring training.
The defending National League Rookie of the Year accomplished all of that as he threw 18 innings over five starts while registering a 2.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts. He gave up 18 hits and walked nine hitters and recorded a spring-high seven strikeouts against the Twins during his fourth start earlier this week.
“I think we did a good job in the offseason and during spring training, just building the body up,” Skenes said. “I think the biggest thing that I wasn't anticipating was kinda the challenge of understanding spring training approaches versus during the season. More than anything, I think we learned what the next spring training will be like and what to expect there. But it was good to get all the stuff going and feel good. I'm good to go."
A year ago at this time, Skenes was being held back as the organization built up his volume and prepared for him to start the year with Class AAA Indianapolis. Now, with a stellar rookie season behind him, Skenes is the Pirates' opening day starter and is set to pick up where he left off last season and he's ready for it.
"It's going to feel really different going from Bradenton to Miami, rather than back up to Pittsburgh," Skenes said. "Ready to go for sure. Spring training is this long for a reason. We need this much time to tune up. But yeah, it's exciting."
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