PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He helped him win a national championship in his only year with the program, LSU head coach Jay Johnson tells the Cook and Joe Show what makes Paul Skenes special.
“The work ethic, the discipline, the attention to detail, the commitment to his preparation is second to none,” Johnson said on 93.7 The Fan. “That’s why that exceptional talent comes out as skill and helped LSU win this year and will help the Pirates win for a long time.”
It’s the 46-year-old Johnson’s second year with the Tigers, but even coaching at Arizona and San Diego previously he had not coached a player like Skenes. Johnson noted half of the innings Skenes pitched this season the opponents went 1-2-3.
“People were rarely getting on base let alone scoring runs against Paul, but the human being is just as exceptional as the pitcher,” Johnson told Ron Cook and Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan. “He’s a leader. He’s a competitor. He’s a worker. His preparation is next level. What he does between finishing one outing and starting the next relative to his body, scouting and then what he needs to do to keep getting better is phenomenal.
I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Skenes came to LSU from the Air Force Academy where he was a pitcher and catcher. He hit 25 home runs with the Falcons and Johnson said he could have hit that many in the SEC, but he saw something special in Skenes. He noticed Skenes velocity increasing and said Skenes was always a hitter first, so he wanted him to just focus on pitching to take it to another level. It would also take the fear of injury behind the plate or even batting as a DH out of play.
They worked long hours not only studying the game, but on his mechanics and he believes that is also what sets him apart as not only a number one starter, an all-star, but a champion.
“He’s really clean,” Johnson said on the Cook and Joe Show. “He’s worked really hard on that. Worked really hard on his body, as far as his hips, his legs, his back. He’s a great mover in his delivery. He’s really improved his ability to move through his delivery and be efficient in his body. His arm is short and certainly connected to his strength in his body and is a big power arm.”
“He uses it so well he protects his arm about as well as any pitcher possibly could. He’s a bring, strong guy and so he has a lot of things going for him.”
Johnson said on four-days rest in his last start of his Tigers career he threw 40 fastballs 100 miles-an-hour or better. He said that tells you about his mechanics and his competitiveness. He said whatever adjustments Skenes needs to make, he will. And whatever he needs to do for the team he will as well. The Pirates may ask for a lot but this 21-year-old seems ready for the challenge.