Don’t count Paul Skenes out of the NL Rookie of the Year race just yet.
The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander pitched six scoreless innings in a 7-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. Skenes struck out nine batters and allowed two hits, throwing 87 pitches. That dropped his ERA to 2.16, which would rank first in MLB, but he hasn’t pitched enough innings to be considered.
The latest from Paul Skenes @Pirates jewel:
6 IP | 2 H | 0 R | 1 BB | 9 KSince his debut on May 11, the rookie right-hander has the lowest ERA in the Majors (2.16), while compiling 11.3 K/9 and a .198 batting average. image.twitter.com/mFxTt9fyGk
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 23, 2024
Amid perhaps outsized expectations, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander has been less than dominant since the All-Star break. In five starts, Skenes has compiled a 3.13 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings to go along with 11 walks, 23 hits and 12 runs (11 earned). That’s still impressive, but compared to his 6-0 record, 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings, the numbers aren’t all that eye-popping.
That has allowed San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill to leapfrog Skenes as the favorite for the NL’s top rookie honor, in the opinion of many. Merrill, the Padres’ first-round pick in 2021, has a .291 batting average and .813 OPS, 21 doubles, 18 home runs, 71 RBIs and 13 stolen bases, making him a solid candidate.
With 131 1/3 innings pitched between the majors and minors this season, Skenes has surpassed the 122 2/3 he threw last year for LSU. That has raised concerns about his workload and whether the Pirates will hold him out for the season.
Manager Derek Shelton told reporters Before Thursday’s game, it was reported that there are no immediate plans to take their ace off the field. However, his innings and pitches per game will be closely monitored. That’s likely why Skenes was pulled after throwing 87 pitches against the Reds.
The most likely approach will be to continue giving Skenes a longer break between starts, stretching it to five days, maybe even six.
“He’s not going to pitch on regular rest the rest of the year. I can almost guarantee that,” Shelton said. by Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette“I don’t say things with much certainty, but I can say there’s a 95% chance he won’t play with a normal four-day rest.”
Why not just leave Skenes out? Shelton and the Pirates believe it’s important for the rookie… Pitching for an entire Major League seasonsomething you are expected to do regularly.
“You have to learn how to get through a major league season,” Shelton said. via Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. “It’s very important and most players are capable of doing it. If you look at most, if not 95% of the Major League players, not just the Major League pitchers that are doing it, they have at least one season in the Minor Leagues, if not two seasons.
“What he’s doing is something very different, it’s very special. It’s something we also have to take into account. He’s learning to pitch on August 22. He’ll learn to pitch in September, all those things.”
If the Pirates give Skenes five or six days off, his next start would have to be Tuesday or Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs. Or if Shelton wanted to give the rookie additional rest, he could wait until after Pittsburgh’s off day next Thursday and start him Friday against the Cleveland Guardians.