Paul Skenes

Paul Skenes

22-Year-Old PitcherSP
Pittsburgh Pirates
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Expectations were sky high for Skenes when he was called up by the Pirates for his big-league debut in May, and yet he exceeded expectations as a rookie, even earning the start for the National League in the All-Star Game. The right-hander struck out more than five batters for every one he walked (5.31 K/BB) and finished with a 1.96 ERA over 133 innings spanning 23 starts, the second-lowest ERA for a rookie pitcher since the earned run became an official stat in both leagues in 1913. With a devastating four-seamer that averaged 98.8 mph in 2024, five secondary pitches highlighted by the sinker and breaking ball, plus exceptional command of his repertoire, Skenes is already an ace and arguably the SP1 overall in fantasy baseball heading into 2025. However, the velocity, while great for getting results on the field, could be seen as something as a red flag given many of the game's hardest throwers have gone down in recent years due to elbow trouble. Skenes, who will still be just 22 years old at the start of the upcoming season, has avoided the operating table so far in his young career. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
From Preseason
$Signed a one-year contract with the Pirates in May of 2024.
Brings home NL ROY
PPittsburgh Pirates
November 18, 2024
Skenes was named the 2024 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year on Monday.
ANALYSIS
This award comes as no surprise for Skenes, who earned 23 first-place votes and seven second-place votes in a landslide victory. The flamethrower posted an eye-poping 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 170 strikeouts over 23 starts (133.0 innings) during his rookie campaign. However, Skenes already has his sights on next season, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I was super pleased with this year, going out there and competing. But there's more work to be done."
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Pitching Stats
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2024
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Scoring
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
89
Last 10 Games
85
Last 5 Games
79
How many pitches does Paul Skenes generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Paul Skenes generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-11%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-11%
BAA vs LHP
2023
No Stats
2022
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .186 263 86 22 44 8 1 4
Since 2022vs Right .210 251 84 10 50 6 0 6
2024vs Left .186 263 86 22 44 8 1 4
2024vs Right .210 251 84 10 50 6 0 6
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-47%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-47%
ERA on Road
2023
No Stats
2022
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 2.51 1.07 71.2 6 1 0 10.4 2.3 0.9
Since 2022Away 1.32 0.80 61.1 5 2 0 12.8 2.1 0.4
2024Home 2.51 1.07 71.2 6 1 0 10.4 2.3 0.9
2024Away 1.32 0.80 61.1 5 2 0 12.8 2.1 0.4
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Paul Skenes compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
5.31
 
K/9
11.5
 
BB/9
2.2
 
HR/9
0.7
 
Fastball
98.9 mph
 
ERA
1.96
 
WHIP
0.95
 
BABIP
.291
 
GB/FB
1.90
 
Left On Base
84.8%
 
Exit Velocity
82.1 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
3.3%
 
Spin Rate
2131 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
20.6%
 
Swinging Strike
13.9%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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2024 Fantasy Outlook
Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, is such a good pitching prospect that the most interesting thing to discuss with him is when he will make his big-league debut. He tallied 122.2 innings for LSU and 6.2 innings across stops at rookie ball, Single-A and Double-A last season (129.1 total innings), so there shouldn't be any notable workload restrictions in his age-22 season beyond the normal care teams show their most prized young arms. Additionally, if Skenes were to spend a full year in the majors and win rookie of the year, the Pirates would be rewarded with a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick at the end of the first round in 2025. The 6-foot-6 righty boasts two potential 80-grade pitches in his fastball (sits 99-100 mph, touches 103) and mid-80s slider. He has started throwing his upper-80s changeup more, and that looks like a potential third elite offering. The only things that could derail an ascent to ace status in a few years are injuries and/or unforeseen command issues. Skenes is generally seen as the best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg, and Strasburg made 11 starts in the upper-levels of the minors before making his big-league debut. That could be Skenes' path as well, but there are different incentives in place now, so he will be appointment viewing in spring training games for as long as he remains in big-league camp.
More Fantasy News
Short outing to wrap up season
PPittsburgh Pirates
September 28, 2024
Skenes fanned three over two perfect innings during Saturday's 9-4 win over the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
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Fans nine in victory
PPittsburgh Pirates
September 22, 2024
Skenes (11-3) pitched five shutout innings to pick up the win Sunday against Cincinnati, allowing two hits and zero walks while striking out nine.
ANALYSIS
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Tagged with tough-luck loss
PPittsburgh Pirates
September 16, 2024
Skenes (10-3) took the loss Monday against the Cardinals, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven over six innings.
ANALYSIS
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Picks up 10th win
PPittsburgh Pirates
September 9, 2024
Skenes (10-2) got the win Monday over the Marlins, giving up one run on six hits and one walk while striking out nine over six innings.
ANALYSIS
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Tosses five shutout innings
PPittsburgh Pirates
September 3, 2024
Skenes (9-2) earned the win Tuesday over the Cubs, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out six over five shutout innings.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
One year closer to free agency
PPittsburgh Pirates
November 1, 2024
Skenes' presumed top-two finish in National League Rookie of the Year voting will grant him a full year of service time, reports Danny Demilio of Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
ANALYSIS
It's a two-horse race in the NL between Skenes and Jackson Merrill, but both players will be credited with a full year of service time even though Skenes didn't debut until May 11. The 22-year-old right-hander will be eligible for free agency following the 2029 season instead of 2030, and it seems unlikely he'll be inking an extension with the Pirates anytime soon. Skenes finished his rookie campaign with a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 170:32 K:BB across 133 innings.
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