Skenes owns a 2.07 ERA through 21 starts and an eye-popping 158 strikeouts in 126 innings.
Guess what! You’ll never guess it. Paul Skenes is on track to once again make Pittsburgh Pirates history… because come on now.
One of the most dominant rookies of our generation in any sport, Skenes owns a 2.07 ERA through 21 starts with 158 strikeouts compared to 29 walks. Skenes ranks 17th in strikeouts despite making his MLB debut on May 11 and consistently pitching every six days.
If qualified, Skenes would lead the league in ERA. The race isn’t even that close. Skenes leads Atlanta Braves lefty Chris Sale (2.35) by .22.
Skenes continues to cement himself in the history books, claiming records that haven’t been broken in over 100 years. Skenes owns the lowest ERA by a Pirates right-handed starting pitcher since Babe Adams (1.11) in 1919, with a minimum 20 starts.
He’s closing in on the lowest ERA by a starting pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920), a feat only accomplished in New York. Yankees righty Stan Bahnsen (2.05) and Mets lefty Jerry Koosman (2.08) achieved record ERA’s during the record-breaking 1968 season, regarded as the Major League Baseball moved the mound back after the season. Bahnsen won AL Rookie of the Year. Koosman won 19 games and made the All-Star Game. Pitching was overly dominant. No one has reached Bahnsen and Koosman’s AL or NL record since.
Skenes should win NL Rookie of the Year. The race has been called. Skenes is ahead by multiple laps. In reality, San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (-400) is the odds-on favorite to win the award, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Skenes is +250 despite six strong innings of one-run ball in a 4-0 loss to St. Louis Monday night.
Merrill is slashing .290/.322/.504 with a .826 OPS, 27 doubles, 24 home runs, and 86 RBIs in 146 games. Two things working against Skenes? He doesn’t play every day, and the Pirates aren’t in a pennant race. Both points likely benefit Merrill. I’m not trying to insinuate Merrill isn’t deserving of recognition – he’s having a phenomenal season as one of San Diego’s best hitters in a stacked lineup – but Skenes’ numbers and impact on the game are substantially better, at least in my mind.
Skenes registered a 202 ERA+ leading into his final two starts, second only in the divisional era (1969) to Steve Rogers (245) of the defunct Montreal Expos in 1973. The only guy better than Skenes pitched for a team that no longer exists.
Paul Skenes’ historic rookie season continues! pic.twitter.com/qQVYN7Qyt5
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) September 17, 2024
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Tuesday Skenes will make two additional starts before the 2024 calendar ends. His next turn will come either Saturday or Sunday in Cincinnati, followed by a Thursday start at home against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers or New York Yankees in the Bronx to end the season.