(Photo by Tyler Kaufman)

With the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected pitcher Paul Skenes from LSU.

It was the long awaited answer to the question that had Pirates fans and media squabbling over who the team would take. 

Dylan Crews, who went second to the Washington Nationals, was amongst many other names the Pirates were rumoured to be considering with their top pick. 

Other names included Max Clark, Wyatt Langford, and Walker Jenkins, who went third, fourth, and fifth in the draft respectively. 

But the Pirates saw the potential that LSU’s ace Skenes has. He’s been talked about as the best pitching prospect since the likes of Stephen Strasberg and fellow Pirate pick Gerrit Cole.

At LSU this season, Skenes put up a 12-2 record over 122.2 innings pitched. He far and away led D-1 baseball in strikeouts with 209, and his 1.69 ERA came in second place. His 0.75 WHIP was also first place. 

His previous season at Air Force, Skenes had a 2.73 ERA and a 10-3 record. 

But it’s not just his stats that standout. This dude throws fireballs, well capable of throwing multiple pitches over 100 miles per hour. 

MLB Draft analyst Chris Burke said that Skenes is “the kind of guy you build a statue for.” 

Whether that statue will be outside PNC Park, or some big money team that the Pirates shipped him off to in a few years is yet to be seen. But Pittsburgh has a real top notch player on their hands. 

He instantly becomes one of, if not already, the team’s most prized prospect, and it’s possible we could see him relatively soon. He’s rated as the most MLB-ready player in this draft, and while it would probably be a waste to use his arm in the quickly sinking 2023 season, the Pirates could consider using him in 2024. 

He’s just the sixth first overall pick in franchise history (isn’t that surprising?) and the second pitcher of that group, behind Gerrit Cole in 2011. 

Skenes himself has previously said he sees himself as someone who can both pitch and hit in MLB. Whether the Pirates plan to pursue that or are even interested in the idea of that is yet to be seen. 

They drafted him for his arm, which makes me guess that he would not be batting in the big leagues, at least for the Pirates. 

He did not bat while at LSU, but during his time at Air Force, Skenes played both pitcher and catcher. He put up a .367 batting average during his two years batting there, so it’s safe to say that the potential for that is definitely there. 

Regardless, Skenes comes to a Pirates team that could use an ace like he was in college. A starting rotation that includes him and Mitch Keller could be dangerous, although some may see the Skenes pick as the Pirates preparing to trade Keller sometime soon. 

If the Pirates keep both Skenes and Keller on the roster, some of fellow pitching prospects Quinn Priester, Jared Jones, and Anthony Solometo could be some of the others to fill out the rotation. 

Of course, as with any pitching prospect, there is the concern that one arm injury to Skenes could derail his career, but if that arm can stay healthy, the Pirates look to have a stud in their system.