Fastball

The Pittsburgh Pirates are Still Not Calling Up Paul Skenes

Despite dominant numbers at Triple-A Indianapolis, the Pittsburgh Pirates are still not calling up Paul Skenes to the big leagues.

Brady Farkas

Feb 20, 2024; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) poses for a photo
Feb 20, 2024; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) poses for a photo / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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Despite a dominant run at Triple-A to start the season, Paul Skenes is not being called up yet by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Triple-A Indianapolis put on social media that he is set to start for the team again on Sunday.

The Pirates have said that they don't want to rush his development but thus far, he's checked every box that they've put in front of him. His most recent start saw him hit both the 6.0 inning and 75-pitch plateaus, which are new minor league highs for him.

The Pirates have lost 13 of their last 16 games so there's no real performance reason why Skenes should be kept down, but perhaps they just want to keep having him hit more boxes.

Either way, the No. 1 draft pick from the 2023 draft shouldn't be in the minors for much longer. He's got an ERA of 0.39 in six starts this year. He's struck out 41 batters in 23.0 innings.

He's the No. 3 prospect currently in Major League Baseball behind only Jackson Holliday and Jackson Chourio. The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, Skenes brings an imposing presence to the mound. A former catcher, he’s athletic on the hill, repeating his delivery well and filling the strike zone exceedingly well, especially given his premium stuff. He has all the makings of a frontline starter, one who should not take very long to make his presence felt in Pittsburgh.

Skenes helped LSU win the national championship during the 2023 season and when he debuts, it will be one of the most anticipated debuts of the 2000s.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.