MLB’s Next Paul Skenes Might Already Be Dominating the AL

No one can truly match how Paul Skenes has started his career, but there is a pitcher in the American League who isn't as far off as you'd think.

Mar 21, 2026; Bradenton, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at LECOM Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Major League Baseball has been very fortunate over the last few years with the emergence of the next generation of superstars in the starting rotation.

This conversation starts and ends with Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he's not the only one. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is just 27 years old and had one of the best performances you're ever going to see by a pitcher in a World Series this past fall for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Garrett Crochet is just 26 years old and finished second in the American League Cy Young Award race in 2025, behind just Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. Jacob Misiorowski has electrified the league with his blistering fastball at just 23 years old, like Skenes. The Seattle Mariners have also been loaded in the pitching department for years at this point, of course.

Skenes is the top dog of this new generation of pitchers, though. The 6'6'' righty logged a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts as a rookie in 2024 and finished in third place in the National League Cy Young Award race. In 2025, he had a 1.97 ERA in 32 starts and won the award. Now, he's still just 23 years old and has a very bright future.

MLB's young pitching is in a good place

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) is shown as he walks back to the dugout after being pulled in the first inning, Thursday, March 26, 2026. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One thing that should make MLB marketing executives very happy right now is the fact that there could be an American League version of Skenes over with the New York Yankees right now.
Cam Schlittler is 25 years old and his numbers early in his young career compare more favorably to Skenes than you'd think.

Schlittler has made 18 total starts in the majors at this point. He made 14 in the regular season in 2025, two in the postseason and two so far in 2026. Over that stretch, he has allowed 26 earned runs across 99 innings pitched, good for a 2.36 ERA. In comparison, Skenes allowed 27 earned runs across 109 innings pitched in his first 18 appearances in the big leagues for a 2.23 ERA.

Now, Schlittler is of course a little older, but the production from this guy hasn't been too far off from Skenes. But he has to show that he can maintain that to really be in the conversation.

He's been lights-out so far this season for New York with 11 2/3 shutout innings to begin the season while allowing just three base hits. That's a bit insane. He also notably went eight shutout innings in the fall to knock the Boston Red Sox out of the playoffs.

All in all, pitching in the majors is in a good place and will be for a long time. Skenes is a guy who moves the needle to the point where people who don't even follow baseball know who he is. That's obviously good for Major League Baseball as a whole. His starts are appointment viewing, which keeps interest in the league high. If Schlittler could be anything like that, it would be great for baseball. He may not quite be at Skenes' level, but his performance to begin his career is closer than you'd think.