Pittsburgh Pirates Calling Up Top Prospect Paul Skenes to Make MLB Debut Saturday

Top prospect and former College World Series champion Paul Skenes is slated to take the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Mar 3, 2024; North Port, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws a pitch in Spring Training. / Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates are set to call up Paul Skenes, the top pitching prospect in all of baseball.

Skenes will make his MLB debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, as alluded to in a video the Pirates shared on social media Wednesday. The transaction isn't official yet, but the club posted a sizzle reel of Skenes warming up and posing for the camera with a caption that simply read "5.11.24."

The 21-year-old righty will become the fourth-youngest player and youngest pitcher on an active roster when he gets called up this weekend.

5.11.24 pic.twitter.com/fPh1beCkwn

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 8, 2024

Skenes' arrival has been hotly anticipated, and many have been prognosticating about it since the offseason. The Pirates selected Skenes with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, after all, and he has been heralded as the best pitching prospect to come out of the college ranks since Stephen Strasburg in 2009.

In his final season at LSU, Skenes went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA, 0.750 WHIP and 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings. He was named College World Series Most Outstanding Player just three weeks before he signed a record-breaking $9.2 million deal with Pittsburgh.

The Pirates had Skenes join them for parts of their big league Spring Training camp, only to stash him in Triple-A to open the 2024 regular season. He made seven starts in the minors before getting the call, as Pittsburgh's front office was content being patient with the flamethrower.

Skenes boasted a 0.99 ERA, 0.915 WHIP and 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings with the Indianapolis Indians, getting more than comfortable in his 27.1 innings of work.

The 6-foot-6, 235-pound youngster routinely breaks 100 miles per hour with his fastball. He also utilizes a slider, changeup, curveball and "splinker" – a hybrid between a splitter and a sinker.

Skenes will join a Pirates rotation that already includes homegrown ace Mitch Keller, standout rookie Jared Jones and former top prospect Quinn Priester. Offseason addition Martín Pérez has been carrying his weight as well, giving Pittsburgh a well-rounded group to lead an up-and-coming squad.

The No. 3 prospect and No. 1 pitching prospect in the league will surely draw plenty of eyeballs when the Pirates and Cubs face off Saturday. First pitch from PNC Park is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.

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