Paul Skenes, a standout starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is among the elite in baseball, yet he ranks near the bottom of some unfortunate historical stats in his first full season in the majors.
Per @JayHayKid of Underdog Fantasy on social media:
The only pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) to post a sub-2.50 ERA through the first 34 starts of his career (min. 200 IP) and have *fewer* wins than Paul Skenes (14) is Matt Harvey (12).
Paul Skenes, a 22-year-old standout pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, finished third in last season’s National League Cy Young voting and started the All-Star Game. This year, despite a strong 2.36 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 68.2 innings, he holds a 3-5 record. The Pirates, currently last in the NL Central, have no plans to trade Skenes, who is under contract through 2030.
However, there’s urgency to build a competitive team around him to maximize his early career. On Saturday, the Pirates face the Milwaukee Brewers at 4:05 p.m. ET, with Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (1-6, 3.88 ERA) pitching against former Pirate Quinn Priester (1-2, 4.66 ERA), now with the Brewers after a stint with the Red Sox.
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