Top pick Paul Skenes gets rude awakening in Double-A debut
Jun 17, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; LSU Tigers starting pitcher Paul Skenes (20) throws against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Skenes is the most hyped pitching prospect in some time, but he hit a pretty big bump in the road in his Double-A debut on Saturday.
Skenes, the No. 1 pick in July’s MLB Draft, is being moved quickly through the minors by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and justifiably so. The 21-year-old has made three appearances between rookie ball and Single-A, striking out five while allowing just one hit in four innings of work.
Skenes on Saturday made his Double-A debut for the Altoona Curve, and it did not go well. He failed to get out of the first inning, giving up four earned runs on three hits and two walks against the Akron RubberDucks. He did, however, get a pair of strikeouts.
Paul Skenes Double-A debut:
0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO pic.twitter.com/oFSaMh6sfl
— Milb Central (@milb_central) August 26, 2023
There is no real reason to believe this is anything but a bad outing for Skenes. There will be an adjustment period as he faces tougher competition than he has before, but there is no reason to think that he won’t be able to rise to the challenge.
Skenes finished off a dominant career at LSU this year, parlaying a 1.69 ERA into a record signing bonus after being drafted. Expect him to move quickly, but as Saturday demonstrated, it will not be too quickly.
