No. 1 draft pick Paul Skenes speaks on the possibility of being the Pirates' very own Shohei Ohtani

Paul Skenes was drafted No. 1 last night in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. If every major league and minor league player was subjected to a redraft, it wouldn't be Skenes first, though.

It would likely be Shohei Ohtani. The two-way player is better than a lot of hitters and a lot of pitchers.

Skenes knows he's a pitcher, but he didn't totally rule out the idea of hitting as well. With Ohtani dominating on the mound and at the plate, it's only fair to wonder who might be the next to try it at the major league level.

Paul Skenes is a pitcher ... but don't rule out hitting 👀 https://t.co/0OZi9Ojh40

Skenes said:

"I think I'm a pitcher. But, we'll see about the hitting — I would want to hit, but I definitely think I'm a pitcher first."

For most of their careers, pitching prospects have hit. It's only until college for the most part that pitchers abandon hitting, so it's possible that Skenes was hitting regularly a few seasons ago.

He's been heralded as one of the best pitching prospects of all time, so there's perhaps no need for him to try hitting. If he can, and is able to succeed at it like Ohtani, then the Pirates got an absolute steal even with the No. 1 pick.

Will Paul Skenes be another Shohei Ohtani?

It's fair to ask whether or not each top pitching prospect can be the next Shohei Ohtani. Most ballplayers know how to swing a bat, but most don't know how to locate a 95 mph fastball and drop a curveball in there.

Ohtani does and Skenes does too, but can the former LSU standout hit the ball? Maybe, and he seems to believe he could. However, it will be interesting to see if the Pirates pursue this.

Skenes is the top pitcher and could be in the majors sooner than later. The Pirates arguably don't need to tinker with that and risk messing things up just so they can try to land the next phenom.

They now have an ace pitcher in their ranks already.