"I showed up and threw every day and lifted every day" - Paul Skenes on his MLB journey from Air Force to stardom
The future is bright for Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes. The 22-year-old pitcher has more than lived up to the hype after being selected first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. Thanks to his head-turning velocity and variety of off-speed pitches, Skenes has quickly developed into a true ace.
Paul Skenes joined the latest episode of MLB Central to discuss his meteoric rise to the majors, diving into his journey and major steps along the way. Coming out of El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, Skenes played college baseball with the Air Force Falcons before transferring to the LSU Tigers, where he won the 2023 College World Series.
During the interview, the Pittsburgh Pirates superstar was asked about his development and if there was a specific moment when he felt that a flip switched for him. Unsurprisingly for a star like Skenes, it was not one specific time but striving to be the best he could day-in and day-out.
"It doesn't feel like anything ever flipped, it feels like I showed up and threw every day and lifted every day, and did what I supposed to do over the course of a long period of time," Skenes told the MLB Central crew.
Whatever Paul Skenes has been doing with his development and his workouts is working to perfection. The Pirates rookie has been a phenom in his first year in the MLB, even earning the first All-Star selection (and start) of his major league career.
"It doesn't feel like there's this switch that just magically flipped ... It's a product of being around really good people, having really good teammates and coaches, and putting in the work over the course of a couple of years," Skenes added.
Paul Skenes finds himself in a tight race for the NL Rookie of the Year Award
Although the postseason might be out of reach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Skenes can cross off yet another individual accolade when all is said and done.
Thanks to his impressive 10-2 record with a 2.10 ERA and 151 strikeouts, Skenes finds himself as one of the top contenders to bring home the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
That being said, Paul Skenes does find himself in a close race with several strong rookies for the award, most specifically Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres.
Like Skenes, Merrill was made the All-Star team and has been a force at the plate for the Padres all season. The race between the two budding superstars could come down to the final day of the season.