Paul Skenes Shoots Down Shohei Ohtani-Like Role With Pirates

Everybody knows Paul Skenes as the dominant starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But did you know the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year can hit, too?

Skenes showed his ability at the plate during two seasons in college at Air Force. He hit .367 with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs over that span, but he put the bat down for good once he transferred to LSU.

The struggles of the Pirates offense — they ranked second-to-last in MLB in runs scored entering Wednesday — begs the question whether Skenes should pick the bat up again and try to morph into a two-way star like Shohei Ohtani. But Skenes has absolutely no plans of doing that, believing fans don’t truly understand how difficult it can be to hit, and do so consistently, at the big-league level.

“People don’t realize. I don’t know how Shohei does it,” Skenes told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Kevin Gorman. “I make jokes that I don’t think anybody finds funny. I see a guy spike a curveball, and I look at the other guys and say, ‘Well, I would’ve swung at that.’ And I think there’s a lot of truth to that. I would swing way too much to be a good big-league hitter. I think we’re closer than people realize with that offensive stuff. Speaking about me specifically, my body feels a lot better when I don’t hit. Pretty soon, that’s not even going to be a part of the conversation. We’re going to figure it out.”

The Pirates certainly have a good thing going with Skenes on the mound. He continues to be a force every five days this season, posting a 2.05 ERA and 0.876 WHIP to go along with 85 strikeouts in 54 innings.

And with that elite production on the mound, there’s no need to tinker with Skenes by putting a bat in his hands.