Pirates Superstar Paul Skenes Named Top 3 MLB Cornerstone Piece

The Pittsburgh Pirates correctly drafted Paul Skenes at No. 1 overall in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.

Skenes has developed into one of the best pitchers in the league since being called up in May. He was named an All-Star in his rookie campaign and became the first rookie to start the All-Star game in almost 30 years. Skenes is 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA and broke the rookie strikeout record for the Pirates with 151 and counting.

Skenes was named a top three cornerstone piece in the league behind only Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio and San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.

“It’s basically impossible to split up these three,” McDaniel writes. “They are the best players on Earth born in each of their birth years and clearly showing why in the majors. I’m inclined to lean toward position players over pitchers, and youth beyond that, but you can really put them in any order. I think they’re all 3.5- to 5-win players annually, which means getting MVP votes in their good years and still making All-Star teams in the others.”

“Since being called up on May 11, among qualified starting pitchers, Skenes leads the majors in average fastball velocity and ERA, and ranks second in ERA estimators (xFIP, SIERA) along with strikeout rate (behind only Chris Sale in all three categories). When I broke down how Skenes was dominating nine starts into his career, I said he was already a top-five pitcher in the game, that I thought what he was doing was totally sustainable and that he might be the best pitcher in baseball in short order. I still stand by that opinion.”

Pittsburgh has a bright future with Skenes at its core. He appears to be a generational player and with the right pieces around him, the Pirates could become contenders in the future.

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