Pirates Star Projected To Be 'Most Valuable Pitcher'
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On the heels of a rookie season for the ages, Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes could be in line to one-up his performance last year.
MLB.com's David Adler revealed "10 eye-popping player projections for 2025." Among the projections by the Steamer on FanGraphs was Skenes putting together another stellar season, going 13-9 with a 2.80 ERA and striking out 242 batters over 188 innings pitched. It also projected the Pirates right-hander to average 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings, a 31.9 strikeout percentage and an MLB-leading 5.8 Wins Above Replacement for all pitchers.
The steamer also projected Skenes to win the pitching triple crown.
"Expect more total domination from Skenes in 2025," Adler wrote. "The Pirates' superstar young ace is poised to take over as the No. 1 pitcher in the Majors. Steamer has Skenes as the most valuable pitcher in baseball this season with a projected 5.8 WAR. Skenes is also projected to win the MLB ERA crown (2.80) and strikeout title (242). A year after we saw pitching Triple Crown winners in both leagues, Tarik Skubal in the AL and Chris Sale in the NL, Skenes could be the top contender to do it in 2025."
Skenes delivered a historic first season en route to winning the National League Rookie of the Year. He went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts and set a Pirates franchise record for a rookie with 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. The Pirates right-hander was also the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20, over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games and the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances.
Along with winning the NL Rookie of the Year, he finished third for the NL CY Young Award, making him the fifth rookie to accomplish the feat and the first since Jose Fernandez in 2013. Pittsburgh's ace was also the first rookie pitcher to start an All-Star game since Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995.
If Skenes can win the pitching triple crown, he'd more than likely be in line to win the NL Cy Young Award, something he has his sights set on in 2025.
