Paul Skenes is ready to take the mound and deliver for the Pittsburgh Pirates again this upcoming season.
The Pirates are preparing their team for 2025, but one thing that is certain about their roster is that Skenes will lead the way as the team’s ace. After a rookie campaign that landed him the National League Rookie of the Year award and an MLB All-Star Game start, he’s ready to follow up with another big-time performance.
Skenes finished 2024 with a 1.96 ERA, 2.44 FIP, 170 strikeouts, 0.95 WHIP, and 4.3 fWAR over 133 innings. A special season out of the 2023 first-overall pick, which landed him a third-place finish in the NL Cy Young race as well. As the 2025 season approaches, the 22-year-old is prepared to dial things up.
“I’m going to be ready to throw 240 innings,” Skenes said per ESPN via the Associated Press. “It’s not going to be 160 innings again. I know that. It’s gonna be much more, ‘Take the ball and pitch.'”
The Pirates will be counting on Skenes every fifth day to deliver them a win, something that became an expectation in his first season. Continuing it was just the start for the Pirates ace, fans should be excited to see what Skenes can do over 240 innings in the upcoming campaign.
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