Leadership of the Pittsburgh Pirates has been under fire for years, and rightfully so.

From losing season after losing season from a cheaply constructed roster, to bad free agent signings, to draft misses in multiple years, the Pirates’ ownership and front office has been loathed by their fans for…well, I’ve lost count of how many years.

But give the Pirates credit for one thing. Amidst the buzz of the MLB Draft last season, Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington selected Paul Skenes with the first overall pick, ignoring suggestions by others in the media and mock drafts who had the Pirates going in other directions.

Now, a year later, Skenes is setting Major League Baseball records. Among other things he is the first modern-era pitcher to have two road starts over the course of his entire career where he struck out 10+ batters, walked no more than one and didn’t allow a hit. And, he is the first player in MLB history to make the All Star Game the year after he was drafted.

The National League starter owns a 6-0 record, 1.90 ERA, a K/BB ratio of 6.85, and 0.920 WHIP in 11 big league starts.

The phenom has taken the baseball world completely by storm. He is bringing attention to a market and fanbase that has either been ignored or made fun of by the rest of baseball.

Even within Pittsburgh, he is bringing the Pirates back to relevancy again. Media pundits and talking heads are either discussing the Pirates for the first time in forever, or are maintaining their coverage at the time of year where all eyes seem to shift over to the Steelers’ impending training camp.

It’s hard to imagine, now a year removed from the 2023 MLB Draft, that there was any debate as to who the Pirates should take with the first overall pick. But there was in fact quite the discourse. Skenes was not seen as the top pick in the eyes of many pundits and mock drafts.