After electrifying baseball as a rookie pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Paul Skenes now officially can say he’s one of baseball’s best.
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-hander was selected an All-MLB first-team starting pitcher Thursday night during an award show in Las Vegas televised on MLB Network.
Skenes was joined on the first team by Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, with Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles and Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies on the second team.
“I think coming into the year, I didn’t put any limitations on myself so I didn’t know what to expect,” Skenes said. “I really just wanted to go out there and compete whenever they gave me the ball. I don’t know what the expectations I had were for myself this year but I think so.”
Paul Skenes makes First Team All-MLB for his standout rookie season. pic.twitter.com/djvMThpOEa
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 15, 2024
From All-Star to All-MLB.
Paul Skenes has been selected as a First Team All-MLB winner. pic.twitter.com/KeqW1JFIqG
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) November 15, 2024
It’s the latest postseason honor for the 22-year-old Skenes, who was named Baseball Digest’s NL Rookie of the Year and was voted a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes made his major-league debut for the Pirates on May 11 and didn’t take long to show his dominance. He had seven strikeouts, marking the first of 16 times he would at least that many. In his second start, May 17 at the Chicago Cubs, Skenes struck out 11 without allowing a hit in six scoreless innings. (He also had 11 strikeouts July 11 at Milwaukee).
In what MLB Network called the “greatest rookie season by a pitcher” since Dwight Gooden had 276 strikeouts in 1984, Skenes finished 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 170 strikeouts against 32 walks in 133 innings over 23 starts. He led NL rookies in ERA, WHIP and batting average against (.198), ranking second in strikeouts and winning percentage (.786) and tying for second in wins. Skenes also became the first player to start in the All-Star Game the year after he was drafted first overall, pitching a scoreless first inning for the National League.
Skenes was asked on the red carpet which was more likely, him landing a double backflip or his LSU-gymnast girlfriend Livvy Dunne hitting a fastball? He didn’t hesitate to answer that he’d land the backflip before adding, “Neither of those are ever going to happen.”
Skenes then asked what type of fastball. When his signature “splinker” — a splitter-sinker hybrid — was suggested, Skenes smiled confidently. “She’s not hitting that.”
Athletics flamethrowing closer Mason Miller, a Bethel Park graduate, was named second-team reliever. The All-Star righty, whose 100.9 mph fastball average is tops in baseball, averaged 14.4 strikeouts per nine innings and had 28 saves this season.
“It’s special,” Miller said. “I’m grateful for it, grateful for the opportunity I had this year to step into that role. It was awesome.”
