Paul Skenes vs. Rhett Lowder: H2H comparison, stats, 2023 draft projections, and more
Paul Skenes and Rhett Lowder were the two best pitchers throughout the college baseball season. Both are also expected to be high picks in the 2023 MLB draft.
How do they stack up against one another? Let's take a deeper dive into LSU's Paul Skenes and Wake Forest's Rhett Lowder to determine which pitcher is better at this point.
Which pitcher had the better 2023 season?
Rhett Lowder had the best season in Wake Forest Demon Deacons' history as he broke the program's single-season records in wins, strikeouts and win-loss percentage. Lowder was a perfect 15-0 in 120.1 innings with 24 walks and 143 strikeouts. He finished with a 1.87 ERA as well and never had it go above 2.00 after the end of any start.
Paul Skenes also had an incredible season in his first year with the LSU Tigers. He finished 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA over 122.2 innings with 20 walks and 209 strikeouts. His strikeouts are a single-season record in college baseball. He also led the nation with a 0.75 WHIP and led his program to the national championship. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series.
Skenes, the Souheastern Conference Pitcher of the Year, also won the Dick Howser Trophy and was named the National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and National Pitcher of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation.
It is difficult to argue against the fact that Paul Skenes had the better overall season as well as the team's success being the cherry on top.
Will Paul Skenes or Rhett Lowder be drafted first?
With the 2023 MLB draft taking place this upcoming weekend, there is going to be a lot of draft projections. However, one thing is clear: Paul Skenes is going to be the first starting pitcher off the board. In fact, Skenes is having a lot of buzz around even being selected with the first pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Rhett Lowder isy expected to be drafted around the 10th overall selection. Skenes is expected to compete for the No. 1 spot with his LSU Tigers teammate, center fielder Dylan Crews, the Golden Spikes Award winner and two-time SEC Player of the Year.
Which player will have the better professional career?
That is going to be a hard one to narrow down as both Skenes and Lowder have shown the ability to dominate at every level. The slight advantage at this point is going to be at Skenes for a few simple reasons.
The biggest one is he is a southpaw pitcher, and teams generally have more leash with left-handed starters than right-handed ones. Second is the draft position as both are going to be picked extremely high, but Skenes will likely be chosen first. Finally, Skenes has shown a tad bit more at the collegiate level, so his ceiling has been established as a little higher than Lowder's.