Paul Skenes made the final start of his rookie season on Saturday, throwing an abbreviated two perfect innings against the Yankees.
Skenes retired the side in order in the first, striking out two. His victims were Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Soto was called out looking at a 99.8 MPH fastball on the inside edge. Judge was caught swinging on an 86.5 MPH sweeper away on a 1-2 pitch.
In the second inning, Skenes got a pop out and a ground out, before striking out Jazz Chisholm for his third of the day. Chisholm was caught looking at a 99.6 MPH fastball on the inside edge.
Skenes had a 1.96 ERA in his rookie season, pitching 133 innings across 23 starts in the Majors this year. He struck out 170 batters and walked 32. The strikeout total set a record for Pirates rookies, with Skenes passing Cy Blanton’s 142 strikeouts from 1935 earlier this month.
The overall performance should make Skenes a favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. His main competition is Jackson Merrill of the Padres, who gets a boost due to the typical preference by voters for players who play daily. As of this writing, Merrill has a 5.1 WAR in 155 games played, or .165 WAR every five games. By comparison, Skenes has a 4.2 WAR in 23 starts, which is a .183 WAR every fifth game.
Skenes is having the better season than Merrill, but Merrill’s increased playing time gives him a boost. Skenes is setting rookie records not just for the Pirates, but for the league’s history. He should win the award.
Mike Burrows Debuts With a Win
After Skenes was pulled from the game, the Pirates called upon Mike Burrows to make his Major League debut. Burrows was called up earlier in the day. The right-hander pitched 3.1 innings, allowing two runs, one earned. He picked up the win due to the Pirates scoring six runs while he was on the mound. Read more about the debut from Burrows.
Three Pirates Observations
The Pirates beat the Yankees 9-4. Aside from Skenes and Burrows, here were three things which stood out from the win:
- Billy Cook and Nick Yorke homered. The Pirates had five homers on the day, with two of them coming from their trade deadline additions. Cook and Yorke were both added in minor deals, with both playing in Triple-A at the deadline. The Pirates called both up this month, and they’ve each shown promise. Yorke went 1-for-4 with a three run homer in the ninth on Saturday. Cook went 1-for-4 with a two run homer in the fifth. It was the third homer for Cook and the second for Yorke this month. Both players are versatile on the field, and could play a factor in the 2025 roster off the bench or at a specific position. Yorke was playing second base while Cook was in left field on Saturday.
- Nick Gonzales homered in his second game in a row. Batting fifth and playing shortstop, Gonzales hit a solo homer in the fourth inning, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead. His homer on Friday was his first in the Majors since June 15th. He didn’t have to wait long for the next shot. The Pirates have been starting Isiah Kiner-Falefa at third base with Ke’Bryan Hayes out, which has allowed Gonzales to start at shortstop in each of the last two games.
- It wouldn’t be a Paul Skenes start without an offensive outburst from Yasmani Grandal. The catcher hit his ninth homer of the year in the second inning, giving Skenes a 1-0 lead. Grandal went 3-for-4 on the day, and now has a .704 OPS on the season. A big reason for that is his second-half hitting. Grandal was only hitting with Skenes on the mound during the first half, but is hitting .302/.429/.558 overall since the All-Star Break. This is exactly the performance the Pirates were hoping for when they signed Grandal, although it unfortunately came mostly after their season was over.
Max Kwan Hired as Director of International Scouting
The Pirates have reportedly hired Max Kwan as their Director of International Scouting. Kwan joined the Pirates in 2014 as an area scout for the draft. He has since spent time as the Assistant Director of International Scouting, as well as the Director of Player Personnel in the minors. Kwan left the Pirates last offseason to join the Boras Corporation, before returning with this job. Read more about the hire in today’s article.
FCL Pirates Season Recap
The FCL Pirates nearly won a championship this year, led by young prospects Zander Mueth and Jhonny Severino. I recapped their season on Saturday, looking at the hitter and pitcher of the year, the top ten prospects at the level, notable performers, and the 2025 outlook. Read more about the 2024 FCL Pirates season.
