Pirates' Paul Skenes Dominating Early in Spring Training
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has a long campaign ahead of him, but he's already showing signs that he's ready for whatever lies ahead of him.
Skenes competed in his first simulated game of Spring Training at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. on Feb. 19. This saw Skenes face "three-ups" or three innings, where he'd face three batters, then rest and then go back out.
It was a successful outing from Skenes, as he faced the Pirates best hitters, but stll shut them down with relative ease, posting six strikeouts and allowing just one hit to outfielder Bryan Reynolds and a walk, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Skenes dominated some of the best Pirates bats, including Reynolds, center fielder Oneil Cruz, new free agent signings in Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O'Hearn, as well as infielder Nick Gonzales.
“Yeah felt good," Skenes said about his outing in a video from DK Pittsburgh Sports. "Went three ups, which is what I was supposed to do today. Felt good. For the most part I was throwing strikes, so I was happy with it.”
What Makes This Sim Game Important
Skenes reported early for Spring Training back on Feb. 9, as he will compete for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
The 23-year old will look to lead his nation to the gold medal, something they've only won once in 2017, and help fufill a childhood dream.
Skenes will spend most of March away from the Pirates, but will come back before the end of Spring Training and eventually taking on the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 26 for Opening Day.
It's not much of a change for Skenes, but he is throwing six days earlier than normal with the WBC.
One of the things that Skenes likes the most about these sim games is that he getsfeedback from his teammates following every inning, so he can know what to improve upon and what to keep doing going forward.
“Yeah I mean that stuff is so valuable because after each inning I’m coming back in and Marcell, [Oneil Cruz] and Bryan are all saying, ‘This was good. This was bad,' Skenes said.
"What they’re seeing, which, obviously, if you’re playing another team, they’re not going to do a debrief with you after the game. It gives you an opportunity to understand what they’re seeing, what they’re thinking, what’s working. So super valuable."
Looking Back at Skenes' 2025 Campaign
It was an incredible first campaign for Skenes last year, as he won the 2025 National League Cy Young Award, just the third Pirates pitcher to do so.
Skenes had just a 10-10 record in 32 starts with the Pirates in 2025, but a 1.97 ERA over 187.2 innings pitched, 216 strikeouts to 42 walks, a .199 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 0.95 WHIP, along with a 10.36 K/9, a 2.01 BB/9 and a 5.14 K/BB.
He ranked amongst the best pitchers in MLB, with the lowest ERA, tied for the fourth most strikeouts, the fourth lowest WHIP, the sixth lowest batting average and the 10th most innings pitched, plus the fifth best K/BB, seventh best K/9 and ninth best BB/9.
His play made him the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star Game, becoming the first pitcher to start consecutive All-Star games in the first two seasons in the MLB.
He was the first NL pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA and 200+ strikeouts since right-hander Jacob DeGrom did it with the Mets in 2018. He was the first MLB pitcher to finish with a sub-2.00 ERA in a season since right-hander Justin Verlander did so with the Houston Astros in 2022.
Skenes became the first pitcher in MLB history to finish with 200+ strikeouts and a sub-2.00 ERA and still not have a winning record, since ERA became a stat in 1913.
He was the first qualified pitcher to post a sub-2.00 ERA in a season at 23 years or younger, since right-hander Dwight Gooden did so at age 20 with the Mets in 1985.
Skenes also had a great 2024 season, winning NL Rookie of the Year, and his 1.96 ERA over his first 55 starts is the lowest ever.
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.