Paul Skenes is regarded as one of the most outstanding and game-changing rookies that baseball has seen within the last half-century. He has come out to pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates since the beginning of this season and he has been at the pinnacle of the baseball world. People used to remember the name Mike Trout, but from now on, the name Paul Skenes will be cemented into baseball’s legacy as one of the best-starting pitchers of his era.

Paul Skenes started his baseball career in the Air Force baseball team where he earned the title of the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and was an all-American by the NCBWA. After his second season of playing for the Air Force, he decided to transfer to LSU where he would finish off his college career. In 2023, LSU made it to the College World Series where they played the best of the best colleges in the country and it all came down to the championship. LSU versus Florida, to take home the D1 College championship rings. Paul Skenes was put on the mound to pitch against the renowned, versatile, and elite Florida Gators, where he dominated them, pitching a remarkable 1.69 earned runs per game while striking out 209 batters. Paul was a force to be reckoned with in college baseball and that flame inside of him is burning even brighter now.

On July 9th, 2024, MLB hosted their annual draft, where they choose players from high school, through college and pick them to join their teams. There are 20 rounds and 30 teams, with 600 players being drafted, yet not all of them are moved into the “big leagues”. Many are thrown into the Minor leagues to learn the pace of the game at that level and to slowly and hopefully advance to the next level. Yet that’s not always the case and many just leave due to the hard work and not being able to adapt to that kind of level. Yet Paul Skenes was chosen by the first team that was picked to draft first, the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the first-round pick and the first draft of the entire 600 players. He was instantly brought in to pitch in practices and against his very own teammates to show off his skills. He was brought into the minors like most other draft prospects and he dominated every opponent he faced down there, leaving no room for error. On May 11th, 2024, Paul was called up to play for the Big Leagues where he would pitch his first game for the Pirates against the Chicago Cubs. He pitched 4 innings, struck out 7 batters, and gave up 3 runs. Which was not a bad debut at all, but according to Skenes, he wasn’t feeling like himself. So what did he do after that game? He fought the next opponents which were the Cubs again and he pitched 6 innings, with 11 strikeouts, giving up 0 runs. 

Overall, Paul Skenes is a pitcher that the new generation of baseball players will remember and chant along to. He will dominate the league with his pitches and his devotion to this game. The man is only just getting started and his name is already getting cemented into one of the best rookies that his ballgame has ever witnessed.