Pirates' Paul Skenes Ready For Larger Workload
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Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes is ready for the training wheels to come off in 2025.
After pitching 160.1 innings across Triple-A Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in his rookie year last season, Skenes is prepared for a much larger workload with his innings pitched. While Skenes knows he won't have an outlandish amount of innings pitched, he's more than prepared to just go out and pitch every fifth day.
"There's probably going to be an innings limit at some point this year," Skenes said. "I'm not going to throw 240 innings, basically. I'm gonna be ready to throw 240 innings. It's not gonna be 160 innings again. I know that. It's gonna be much more, 'Take the ball and pitch.'"
Skenes pitched 133 innings across 23 starts and went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and set a Pirates rookie record with 170 strikeouts en route to winning the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year. He also finished third in the NL Cy Young vote. Skenes 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 since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances.
Pittsburgh's ace pitched at least six innings in 16 of his 23 starts. Among those 16 starts, Skenes only reached or surpassed 100 pitches seven times. Overall, Skenes only threw 100 or more pitches in nine starts. The Pirates exuded even more caution with Skenes down the stretch when they were all but officially knocked out of playoff contention, as he only threw over 100 pitches twice in his final nine starts.
Skenes noted that his body was up to the task as his rookie season wound down. Now, he's ready for a full season's workload as Pittsburgh seeks its first playoff berth since 2015.
"I think toward the end of the season I did know that my body was built up for it," Skenes said. "I felt good in September. That kind of told me that what I did last offseason was right. The training that I did during the season, too. Obviously you don't want to be built up for 160 and throw 185. That's stupid. Build up for 240 and land where we land."
