PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – They didn’t overthink it. They didn’t live in their fears. They did their homework and baseball experts believe the Pirates did the right thing in drafting right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes with the first overall pick in the MLB Draft.
There is fear of pitchers that throw as hard as Skenes does. He can hit 103 mph and averages 98 miles-an-hour, there are several who have needed Tommy John surgery. Most notably phenom Stephen Strasburg who was drafted first overall by the Nationals in 2009 and made 12 starts in the majors in 2010 before Tommy John surgery cost him most of 2011. Strasburg pitched in 247 games with a 3.24 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 1,723 strikeouts.
He also helped the Nationals to a World Series title, winning MVP in 2019. In his post-season career, the righty went 6-2 with a 1.46 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 55.1 innings.
What they are saying
Dave Schoenfield-ESPN
“If Strasburg's career is merely a worst-case scenario, imagine what the best case might be for Skenes. Maybe he's the next Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer. And as an added bonus, he's so advanced that he has a legitimate shot to win Rookie of the Year by next season, which would give the Pirates a bonus first-round pick. I think it was the right pick.”
Edward Sutelan-Sporting News
“He's armed with a triple-digits fastball and a filthy slider that is the best out pitch in the class. While drafting a player like Max Clark or Walker Jenkins would have been a big upside play, the team likely would have had to wait several years for the player to reach the majors. Skenes might be on the Opening Day roster in 2024, and if not, he'll almost certainly be in the majors at some point during the season. And it won't be long until he's likely receiving Cy Young votes.”
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Alden Gonzalez-ESPN
“The draft is the best and perhaps the only chance for an organization like the Pirates to get an arm of this caliber, and looking back, it would have been foolish to pass up on the combination of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the lottery and having one of the best pitching prospects of this century available to them. Skenes' stuff is nasty, as we all know by now, but he also has the athleticism and the work ethic for it to translate at the highest level. His workload has also been relatively light. Pitchers can often be a crapshoot, but this is as safe as it can get at that position.”
Jonathan Mayo-MLB.com
“After it sounded like the Pirates were looking more at this class’ offensive options, they opted to go with the best player on MLB Pipeline’s Draft Top 250. Considered by many to be a generational type of talent, Skenes was the best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg, according to evaluators. In his only year with LSU after transferring from Air Force, the former two-way player (He was a catcher!) put up video game numbers in helping the Tigers win the College World Series, finishing with a 1.69 ERA, 15.3 K/9 and just 1.5 BB/9. His 80-grade fastball sat 98 mph and regularly hit triple digits, his slider is unhittable and his power changeup has the chance to be outstanding as well. Skenes isn’t expected to need too much time to get to the big leagues; some scouts think he could get Major League hitters out with his stuff right now.”
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Jesse Rogers-ESPN
“Some organizations don't like taking pitchers this high considering the potential for injury, but Skenes isn't exactly an unproven prospect in need of years of seasoning while the Pirates hold their breath that he stays healthy. More importantly, where else is Pittsburgh going to find an ace if not the draft? In the end, this might have been a no-brainer.”
There was one choice to make with the top pick in the MLB Draft and the Pirates made it. They would never be able to sign a free agent pitcher with that stuff. Never. Now it’s about getting him signed and starting his career. Fans fearing another Daniel Moskos, Bryan Bullington draft, it didn’t happen. The Pirates got it right.