ESPN Name Paul Skenes Among Top Athletes Of Next Generation

Paul Skenes has been special through his first 11 starts and that shouldn’t end any time soon.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitcher has taken Major League Baseball and the sports world by storm with his dominance on the mound. After being drafted as the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the LSU product has quickly shown results in the majors at a record rate.

Through the first 66 1/3 innings of his career, Skenes has posted a 1.90 ERA with 89 strikeouts, a 0.92 WHIP, 2.58 FIP, and a 34.9% strikeout rate. He’s been outstanding and it’s why he earned the start for the National League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game. There seems to be no limit on how great the 22-year-old will be on the mound moving forward.

ESPN agrees that Skenes is just getting started. After naming the top 100 pro athletes since 2000, they followed up with a new list highlighting the next generation. The Pirates phenom was among the 25 pro athletes named to the list, joining Caitlin Clark, Juan Soto, Victor Wembanyama, and more.

“With a fastball that averages 99.2 mph (the fastest in the majors among starting pitchers), a wipeout slider and an unhittable ‘splinker’ (a splitter-sinker hybrid), Skenes’ first two months in the big leagues have been as electric as any we’ve ever seen from a rookie pitcher,” ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote. “He made the All-Star team — the first player to do that the year after he was drafted. Before his second start, Skenes was asked about the adjustments hitters will make. ‘Go ahead and adjust,’ he said. ‘Good luck.’ So far, they haven’t. It’s not a stretch to say he’s already the best starter in the majors.”

Schoenfield says it well — there’s an argument that Skenes is already the best pitcher in MLB.

He’ll have a chance to continue his impressive rookie campaign when he takes the mound for his first start after the All-Star break on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. First pitch at PNC Park is set for 6:40 p.m. EST on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

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