Pittsburgh Pirates Ace Paul Skenes Appears to Bring Out New Pitch on Saturday

Skenes already throws 100 MPH with a devastating splinker, now he's got a cutter?

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) looks on during spring training workouts at Pirate City on Feb 14. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes might have just gotten even more unfair, as it appears that he busted out his new cutter on Saturday in Grapefruit League action.

Playing against the Baltimore Orioles, Skenes got a swing-and-miss on the following pitch, which was shared by @PitchingNinja.

Paul Skenes, New Cutter? pic.twitter.com/T9pRvmxAjJ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 1, 2025

The idea of Skenes adding to his repertoire is a terrible thought for opposing hitters, as he's already one of the most dominant arms in the sport.

Skenes finished his rookie season at 11-3 wth a 1.96 ERA. He struck out 170 batters in just 133.0 innings and looked every bit the part of an ace moving into 2025. The former No. 1 pick in the draft (2023), Skenes made his major league debut in early May after just a handful of minor league starts With Skenes and Jared Jones, the Pirates and their fans finally look to have some optimism moving forward. Skenes was a finalist for the National League Cy Young Award last season and is a favorite for some sportsbooks in 2025.

This cutter can be added to his current pitch mix, which includes an upper-90s, 100 MPH fastball, a splinker and a slider.

The Pirates finished last in the National League Central last season and will hope to reverse their fortunes this year. However, the division looks better as the Cubs brought in Kyle Tucker and the Cincinnati Reds added future Hall of Famer Terry Francona at manager.

The Pirates open up the regular season on March 27 against the Miami Marlins.

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