2025 Stats
W-L
2-1
ERA
2.96
WHIP
0.74
K
26
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
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
Making first start on four days' rest
Skenes is listed as the Pirates' starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Guardians at PNC Park.
ANALYSIS
Not only will Skenes be taking the hill for his bobblehead night, but he'll also be pitching on four days' rest for the first time in the big leagues and for the first time at any level since 2023. Though Skenes doesn't have any history of arm problems, the Pirates have deliberately built in extra rest between starts for the 22-year-old in an effort to preserve his health. The Pirates are still likely to add a sixth starter to the mix during particularly busy portions of the schedule to give Skenes and the other members of the rotation more recovery time between outings, but a four-day rest period should eventually become the norm for the star right-hander as he matures.
Not only will Skenes be taking the hill for his bobblehead night, but he'll also be pitching on four days' rest for the first time in the big leagues and for the first time at any level since 2023. Though Skenes doesn't have any history of arm problems, the Pirates have deliberately built in extra rest between starts for the 22-year-old in an effort to preserve his health. The Pirates are still likely to add a sixth starter to the mix during particularly busy portions of the schedule to give Skenes and the other members of the rotation more recovery time between outings, but a four-day rest period should eventually become the norm for the star right-hander as he matures.
Pitching Stats
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2025
2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
98
Last 10 Games
98
Last 5 Games
98
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+
What part of the game does Paul Skenes generally pitch?
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 2023
-12%
BAA vs LHP
2025
-11%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023vs Left | .181 | 102 | 24 | 52 | 4 | |||
| Since 2023vs Right | .206 | 94 | 11 | 57 | 6 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .160 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .179 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .186 | 86 | 22 | 44 | 4 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .210 | 84 | 10 | 50 | 6 | |||
| 2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-52%
ERA on Road
2025
-68%
ERA on Road
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023Home | 2.80 | 1.04 | 83.2 | 10.3 | 2.0 | ||||
| Since 2023Away | 1.34 | 0.77 | 73.2 | 12.2 | 2.0 | ||||
| 2025Home | 4.50 | 0.83 | 12.0 | 9.8 | 0.8 | ||||
| 2025Away | 1.46 | 0.65 | 12.1 | 9.5 | 1.5 | ||||
| 2024Home | 2.51 | 1.07 | 71.2 | 10.4 | 2.3 | ||||
| 2024Away | 1.32 | 0.80 | 61.1 | 12.8 | 2.1 | ||||
| 2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2023Away | 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.
* 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
8.67K/9
9.6BB/9
1.1HR/9
0.0Fastball
97.9 mphERA
2.96WHIP
0.74BABIP
.260GB/FB
3.17Left On Base
44.4%Exit Velocity
80.4 mphBarrels/BBE
0.7%Spin Rate
2129 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
16.1%Swinging Strike
13.0%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
Returns to form in victory
Skenes (2-1) earned the win Monday against the Nationals, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and no walks over six innings. He struck out six.
ANALYSIS
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Hit hard in loss
Skenes (1-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Cardinals, allowing five runs on six hits and a walk while striking out seven in six innings.
ANALYSIS
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Stingy in first win of year
Skenes (1-0) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on three hits over seven innings in a 4-2 victory over the Rays. He struck out six without walking a batter.
ANALYSIS
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Fans seven in no-decision
Skenes didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's Opening Day game against the Marlins. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven across 5.1 innings.
ANALYSIS
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Confirmed as Opening Day starter
Manager Derek Shelton informed Skenes on Saturday that he will start Opening Day against the Marlins.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
One year closer to free agency
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.
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.