Paul Skenes becomes starting pitcher for National League All-Star team
Two months and a day into his major league career, Pirates ace Paul Skenes has been named the starting pitcher for the National League All-Star team. During an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, NL All-Star manager Torey Lovullo of the Diamondbacks called in to inform the 22-year-old Skenes of the decision live on air. Major League Baseball announced the decision shortly after. Skenes becomes the first rookie since Hideo Nomo in 1995 to be selected as his league’s starting pitcher for the Midsummer Classic, coincidentally also taking place in Arlington, as it will next week.
Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has quickly established himself as one of the game’s elite pitchers. His rapid rise is aptly described as meteoric. The 6’6″, 235-pound flamethrower gave up three runs in four innings in his MLB debut but has since allowed only 11 runs over 10 starts and 62 1/3 innings.
Since debuting on May 11, Skenes leads all qualified NL pitchers with a 1.90 ERA, just behind White Sox ace Garrett Crochet’s 1.84 for the MLB lead. Skenes’ 34.9% strikeout rate tops all NL pitchers and is second only to Crochet’s 35.2% in the majors.
Opponents have a dismal .202/.251/.319 batting line against Skenes in 255 plate appearances. Since his debut, Skenes ranks 22nd in innings pitched, first in strikeouts, has the 10th-fewest walks, and boasts an unbeaten 6-0 record. Remarkably, he is the only one of 77 qualified starting pitchers in baseball without a single loss since May 11.
Skenes was controversially pulled from his last outing in Milwaukee after seven no-hit innings and 11 strikeouts, having thrown 99 pitches. The Pirates opted for caution rather than exceeding his career-high 107 pitches. Now, Skenes will make history as he pitches in the ultimate midseason showcase next week.
The impressive debuts of Skenes and teammate Jared Jones have revitalized the Pirates’ rotation and long-term outlook. Pittsburgh controls both pitchers for over a half-decade—Skenes through at least 2030 (pending Rookie of the Year voting) and Jones through 2029—adding two high-octane arms to join Mitch Keller (3.40 ERA in 111 1/3 innings) at the top of the rotation for the foreseeable future. Keller signed a five-year, $77 million contract covering the 2024-28 seasons during spring training.