Pirates Reveal Final Spring Training Rotation Plans
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have only a few games left in spring training as the regular season is less than a week away, and they have their rotation set for those final contests.
National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes will start vs. the Baltimore Orioles at LECOM Park in Bradenton on March 22. Left-handed pitchers Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney will go up against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 23 and the Minnesota Twins on March 24, respectively, both of which are on the road.
Mitch Keller makes his 5th/final start of spring training tonight at Boston Red Sox.
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 21, 2025
Scheduled starters for the final 3 games:
Sat. vs BAL: RHP Paul Skenes vs. RHP Zach Eflin
Sun. at TOR: LHP Bailey Falter vs. RHP Chris Bassitt
Mon. at MIN: LHP Andrew Heaney vs. RHP Bailey Ober
Skenes will have four days off in between his final spring training start and his next one, the season opener vs. the Miami Marlins on the road on March 27.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced Skenes as the Opening Day starter on March 15, which will mark his first season in the MLB starting from the beginning, as he earned his call-up last May.
Skenes started 23 games last season, had a 1.96 ERA in 133.0 innings pitched, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while making 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
He was the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers being the most recent player to do so before him in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
Falter pitched in 10 games and started seven contests for Pittsburgh in 2023, finishing with a 2-2 record and a 5.58 ERA in 40 1/3 innings pitched. He came in a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 10 of that year, with infielder Rodolfo Castro going the other way.
He spent a full season as a starter with the Pirates in 2024, making 28 starts and logging a 4.43 ERA in 142 1/3 innings with 97 strikeouts to 45 walks and a .260 opposing batting average.
The Pirates signed Heaney to a one-year deal worth $5.25 million that can rise with incentives this offseason.
He posted a 4.28 ERA with 159 strikeouts over 160 innings and 31 starts for the Texas Rangers in 2024. The year prior, he helped the franchise win its first World Series by finishing the season with a 4.15 ERA in 147 1/3 frames and 34 appearances, 28 of which were starts.
It's likely that these three, plus Keller and Jared Jones, if he's healthy, will serve as the starting rotation to open the 2025 season.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.