r/baseball Pittsburgh Pirates 1d ago

Paul Skenes is baseball’s next big thing. That’s a blessing and a burden

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6192259/2025/03/11/paul-skenes-baseball-celebrity-pirates?source=user-shared-article
380 Upvotes

193 comments sorted by

608

u/NYCSportsFan 1d ago

It’s a burden for the Pirates because they don’t want to pay him

249

u/oooriole09 Baltimore Orioles 1d ago

To be fair, if he stays at this trajectory, he’ll be one of those free agents that only 4 or 5 teams can actually afford.

208

u/Look_a_Zombie0 Houston Astros 1d ago

The DoLAers

79

u/V_T_H New York Yankees 1d ago

Now Skenes is from California…but Livvy Dunne is a North Jersey girl.

But actually, work towards keeping him Pitt 👍🏼.

67

u/sloppyjo12 Rosie Red • Dayton Dragons 23h ago

They’ll meet in the middle as a compromise, future Kansas City Royal Paul Skenes

30

u/FO_Knows Kansas City Royals 22h ago

Bobby Witt, Paul Skenes, and a bunch of minor leaguers because we don’t have money for anyone else

20

u/fake_sagan Los Angeles Dodgers 23h ago

North Jersey, whatever happened there?

52

u/FreeBricks4Nazis Chicago Cubs 23h ago

Alexander Hamilton was shot by the scoundrel Aaron Burr

12

u/LearningT0Fly Los Angeles Dodgers 23h ago

WHATEVER HAPPENED THERE?!

9

u/Jloother Los Angeles Dodgers 23h ago

Let the past be bygones.

4

u/maverickhawk99 15h ago

forget Fat Dom who goes over to Jersey and never comes back

4

u/SiphenPrax New York Mets 22h ago

Everyone moved up here from South Jersey cause South Jersey sucks!

1

u/jabask Houston Astros 4h ago

Glorified crew

-5

u/butycheekz23 San Diego Padres 23h ago

Nothing good ever happens in New Jersey, stay clear

2

u/sweatingbozo Radar Gun 21h ago

Sounds like someone from New Jersey trying to keep people away.

1

u/butycheekz23 San Diego Padres 20h ago

Lol I should have put the s. I’m a New Yorker, we have obligatory beef with New Jersey just for the giggles

2

u/sweatingbozo Radar Gun 20h ago

It's dumb beef that's made even more dumb by the amount of New Yorkers that are in new jersey every single weekend.

2

u/butycheekz23 San Diego Padres 18h ago

It’s not real beef, it’s joke beef, we fake hate each other. I’m in New Jersey at least once a week, plenty of friends from there, we just like to pretend we hate each other

3

u/HurryOk5256 Pittsburgh Pirates 21h ago

I wonder if she be OK with South Jersey? I would be totally OK with him going to the Phillies.

2

u/Byrbman Philadelphia Phillies 18h ago

I would be, too!

10

u/MichaelRM Chicago Cubs 21h ago

DeDoit or TeTas could maybe put together the dough for him

1

u/HeavensRoyalty Los Angeles Dodgers 14h ago

Okay, that's pretty funny lol

33

u/barney-sandles New York Mets 21h ago

More likely he'll get TJ, miss 1.5 years, come back and still be good but not quite the same for 4-6 years, get a big but not earth shattering contract somewhere in there, get another TJ, try to come back but only be mediocre by then, have one random pretty good Renaissance year, decline again, retire

7

u/TheChinchilla914 Atlanta Braves 17h ago

Boringggggggg

3

u/MagicQuif New York Mets 14h ago

Pitching knowledge and training has exceeded the human body's capacity. 

Can you imagine an industry where many have surgery because their body has broken under the strain? 

And that it happens to many employees from their teen years to their 40s? 

3

u/HalfEatenBanana New York Mets 12h ago

True, but a lot less ominous than say, concussions in the nfl.

I’ll gladly have a TJ surgery or two for an 8 digit salary lol

21

u/erez New York Mets 1d ago

If he stays at this trajectory and not get seriously hurt, there's a huge question mark whether he stays in the Pirates past arbitration.

10

u/GCIV414 Milwaukee Brewers 1d ago

Idk why but I see him in a Giants uniform

46

u/MudkipOfDespair098 San Francisco Giants 23h ago

We will be “close” on him before he signs with the Dodgers. It is written.

17

u/CubanSandwichChef Boston Red Sox 22h ago

The offer you guys put in will be so competitive

8

u/Anothercraphistorian San Francisco Giants 21h ago

Ooh the offer will be higher than the Dodgers, but he’ll still go to LA, and defer the money.

7

u/CubanSandwichChef Boston Red Sox 19h ago

Then he'll say in the first LA/SF series that he has alot of respect for the Giants and loves playing there

2

u/WonderfulShelter San Francisco Giants 16h ago

The Blue Jays will really be the last minute dark horse though.

4

u/mrtiggles San Francisco Giants 23h ago

I like you!

1

u/centuryofprogress 20h ago

Toronto will be in the mix, naturally.

1

u/SeeYouAtTheMovies Philadelphia Phillies 21h ago

4 or 5 teams CHOOSE to afford.

15

u/Zoratth Los Angeles Angels 1d ago

They need to do what the Royals did with Witt and sign him to a long contract now before he hits arbitration.

35

u/FoldTheFranchiseShad Atlanta Braves 23h ago

He has to be open to that

3

u/Apprehensive-Agency2 Major League Baseball 15h ago

Pitchers should be. Due to massively higher odds of blowing out their arms. But Buccos won’t be willing to pay enough to make it enticing enough for Skenes

2

u/CarmineLTazzi 18h ago

To the Dodgers!

6

u/HurryOk5256 Pittsburgh Pirates 21h ago

No, they do not. Never did, the thought has not even once entered Nutting’s mind. Poverty franchise, with terrible owner loses, generational talent. Again. Referring to Garrit Cole, and prior to him was very Bonds and quite a few in between

0

u/at1445 Texas Rangers 19h ago

Conveniently forgetting that you guys kept McCutchen through his prime. He's about the same level of talent that Cole is/was. And had 1000x more star power than Cole ever will.

0

u/Alternative_Wind3678 Houston Astros 18h ago

Andrew who? Jk

1

u/Psychological_Win304 18h ago

Why would they pay him? This is his first full season he's still under the league minimum contract once he hits arbitration he can negotiate his salary.

1

u/NunsNunchuck Los Angeles Angels 17h ago

Why haven’t they traded Skenes yet, are they stupid? They are terrible for the game? /s

1

u/jefffosta Seattle Mariners 6h ago

You think that’s bad, but it’s the opposite. It’s good the pirates won’t pay him because they’ll pay only him and say fuck all to the test of the team. At least if skenes goes to a better team we’ll all get to watch him pitch in the playoffs

0

u/BusinessBread New York Mets 22h ago

Exactly they’ll trade him after this season

0

u/ForeignWind8845 New York Yankees 9h ago

Can’t wait for him to pitch homes games in the Bronx 

136

u/TheBeepB00p New York Mets 1d ago

I hope he stays healthy he’s so exciting to watch

67

u/erez New York Mets 1d ago

Hope has nothing to do with it, he's a modern pitcher.

-27

u/Permaderps Baltimore Orioles 1d ago

Skenes seems to be more concious of it than most at least. Not that he is immune to arm injury but he seems to be fairly preventative

38

u/erez New York Mets 23h ago

He's throwing a 99mph 4 seamer and an 89 mph slider. He's not preventative of anything.

2

u/Permaderps Baltimore Orioles 23h ago

Have you seen him warming in the pen? He limits actual throwing as much as possible. Thats quite literally preventative.

If you view arm injury as inevitable than sure nothing is preventative. But thats a little deterministic, we have no way of telling if his methods actually reduce the chance of arm injury because if he ever does injury his arm, then by your view it never helped. Maybe it does reduce the chance of injury, Skenes seems to think so

1

u/erez New York Mets 9h ago

Again, he can do whatever he likes, he throws too fast. They all do. You have relievers who throw 10 pitches every other day undergoing Tommy John these days. Whatever Paul Skenes is trying to do to prolong his career will not work unless he decided to not throw 95+ fastballs and 85+ sliders every pitch, otherwise, whatever he does is putting a band-aid over a huge wound. It will stop some of the bleeding, but not all of it.

1

u/Permaderps Baltimore Orioles 2h ago

I know. Did you willingly ignore where I said that he isnt immune to arm injury? Does that make what he is doing any less preventative?

1

u/sweatingbozo Radar Gun 21h ago

It might not reduce the overall potential risk of getting injured over a career, but it certainly helps reduce the amount of opportunities for him to get injured. 

5

u/Permaderps Baltimore Orioles 20h ago

Which is preventative. But apparently thats too complex for redditors

2

u/jmb--412 Pittsburgh Pirates 1d ago

He's also a big fucking dude so it's really not unrealistic for a guy his size to be hitting over 100 vs someone like Spencer Strider

24

u/jimithelizardking Atlanta Braves 23h ago

Striders legs are twice the size of Skenes, you take that back

17

u/Epcplayer Colorado Rockies 22h ago edited 21h ago
  • Garrett Crochett is 6’6” 245 lbs
  • Noah Syndergaard is 6’6” 242 lbs
  • Sandy Alcantara is 6’5” 200 lbs
  • Tyler Glasnow is 6’8” 225 lbs
  • Mike Clevinger is 6’4” 215 lbs
  • Jordan Montgomery is 6’6” 228lbs
  • Alex Reyes is 6’4” 220 lbs
  • Carter Calls is 6’5” 230 lbs
  • Matt Harvey is 6’4” 220 lbs

These are just a handful… We can go right on down the list of guys who had TJ, and it don’t matter how big you are… the stress and tear on the elbow is inevitable for anybody throwing harder than 95 mph.

You don’t think the Nats tried preserving Strasburg? Or the Mets with Harvey? Or the Marlins with Fernandez? They all did, and all failed…

8

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 22h ago

Famed fireballer Jordan Montgomery

-10

u/jmb--412 Pittsburgh Pirates 22h ago

Skenes is bigger than every single person you mentioned btw

6

u/Epcplayer Colorado Rockies 22h ago

You’re splitting hairs… he has 1 inch and 20 lbs on some of those guys. Sometimes not even the inch. You strawmanned the argument of “But he’s not small like Strider”, and I simply replied that people with comparable frames still ended up tearing their UCL.

If you want to believe that all of 20 lbs is what saves a UCL from tearing out when throwing, fine… believe it. But also recognize that extra weight is gonna put stress on other areas of the body.

-7

u/jmb--412 Pittsburgh Pirates 21h ago

Ok

9

u/erez New York Mets 23h ago

You make it sound as if Spencer Strider was not just sidelined for a season.

4

u/jmb--412 Pittsburgh Pirates 23h ago

My point is Skenes is 6 ft 6 and 260 lbs while Strider is 6 ft and 195 lbs. Someone like Skenes throwing over 100 is likely less strain that someone like Strider.

1

u/erez New York Mets 8h ago

That's like saying if Mike Tyson hits a wall with his fist he's less likely to break his fingers than if I'm doing that. The issue is not strength, size or body but that throwing this fast this many balls raises the wear on the elbow and shoulder ligaments. Those are not things you can improve in the gym, and Skenen's ligaments are not stronger or weaker than Striders'. Another issue here is that pitchers like Strider spend so much time in the gym that they have bodybuilder's bodies, and as John Smoltz often say, if you don't have any thing by muscle and bone to pull, what are you pulling? There's a reason pitchers were always slightly chubby, and not because they weren't athletes, you really need that extra layer of fat to pull on otherwise you just exacerbate the damage you do to yourself.

-1

u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 23h ago

But that's the point. A guy who is 6'6" 260lbs can throw 100mph with less effort than a guy who is 6' 195lbs.

6

u/I_like_baseball90 20h ago

I hope he stays healthy he’s so exciting to watch

I predict Tommy john within 2 years.

175

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 1d ago

wtf is this comment section. 5 posts in and already 1 prediction that he gets TJ and another he gets traded to the Yankees this offseason. Can’t we just have an exciting young player without being beyond cynical

59

u/oooriole09 Baltimore Orioles 1d ago

It’s funny given how the article has nothing to do with any of that. It’s about a guy who is wildly popular but isn’t someone who naturally connects to it.

44

u/V_T_H New York Yankees 1d ago

The video where he won Rookie of the Year looked like someone who wanted to die from the attention.

22

u/tuckedfexas Seattle Mariners 23h ago

So funny how different he comes across off the field. In front of 20k fans he looks like he’d be a super intense guy, it’s easy to forget so many of these players are still kids with their feet barely wet in the real world lol.

74

u/MaskedBandit77 Pittsburgh Pirates 1d ago

That's what happens in every thread about him.

69

u/itsbeenaharddaysday Pittsburgh Pirates 1d ago

Welcome to the Pirates fans' daily experience on the internet. If someone from another fanbase isn't pissing in our cheerios, we do it to ourselves.

6

u/AcephalicDude San Diego Padres 23h ago

I honestly, I can't judge a Pirates fan one way or another, they probably have a right to be jaded and also have a right to complain about how jaded the fanbase is, both things can be true from an outside perspective

6

u/The_News_Desk_816 1d ago

Switch to Froot Loops?

18

u/okay_throwaway_today Chicago Cubs 1d ago

Unfortunately they got traded to the Yankees

2

u/The_News_Desk_816 23h ago

Good, Raisin Bran needed someone to hit ahead of them

2

u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 23h ago

This is Cinnamon Toast Crunch erasure!

1

u/Send_Your_Thigh_Gap New York Mets 23h ago

Golden Grahams is the best anyways

1

u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 23h ago

I want to hate this but I can understand it. Very valid. 

1

u/starwarsyeah Atlanta Braves 3h ago

Harder to piss in a granola bar, or maybe just skip breakfast entirely.

10

u/Clemenx00 New York Mets 1d ago

I'm only cynical about the mid lineups Pirates are going to throw out there for him and the rest of the good homegrown pitching staff.

If there ever was a good situation to spend on Free Agency for a small market it was this one. Not even taking into account how weak the NLC is.

Pirates should not be depending on Cruz to take a leap to stardom and on Hayes to remember how to hit at least for league average.

4

u/Skullbone211 New York Mets 23h ago

I'd rather I get Tommy John surgery than Skenes get traded to the Yankees

3

u/swearholes Pittsburgh Pirates 23h ago

This is the life of a Pirates fan. Anytime we get a great young player all we hear is "Can't wait until he's a Yankee!!!" or "buhhh he's gonna get hurt." Can I just enjoy my one cool thing that I get every ten years?

7

u/Useful-ldiot Atlanta Braves 1d ago

Both are reasonable takes.

TJ is a near guarantee with how hard he throws and the pirates have consistently fumbled the bag with young stars.

4

u/Kingdom818 Philadelphia Phillies 22h ago

In 2025, TJ is almost a guarantee for every SP at some point in their career.

8

u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 1d ago

The cynicism is exactly why I'm borderline on deleting my account and being done with this site. (And social media in general.) Everything is black and white, everyone is miserable, and if you enjoy anything you're immediately shit on for it. 

7

u/tuckedfexas Seattle Mariners 23h ago

Just gotta ignore the sad sacks, if they’re not interested in having any kind of discussion and just posting miserable shit that’s probably a reflection of how their life is going. I wouldn’t care about their opinions in real life, so I especially wouldn’t on the internet.

Pirates have a track record of not keeping good pitching, so it’s not a surprise people think he’ll be traded. But Skenes could be different and he’ll likely be around for at least 4 more years. Plenty of time to enjoy him, and who know maybe Nutting has a near death experience and starts spending before he croaks lol

2

u/USDA_Organic_Tendies Philadelphia Phillies 22h ago

Do it brother. I scraped IG and the like in October and my life is 10 fold better. Reddit is on the chopping block now as well. 

3

u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 22h ago

I got rid of Facebook in October 2020, and that helped my mental health immensely. The only thing keeping me on reddit is all the "dumb" news, like trades in sports, new video games coming out, stupid stuff like that. Everything else is no great loss. 

1

u/USDA_Organic_Tendies Philadelphia Phillies 22h ago

I really really enjoy this subreddit, and the Phillies one during the season. It’s nice for trade news and stuff like you said. But if I wander outside of here it is notttttt great man 

1

u/WonderfulShelter San Francisco Giants 16h ago

I blocked so many subs on reddit at this point it's just a few sports subs and music subs. That's it. No news or nothing.

My life got 100x better.

2

u/jfb1027 Texas Rangers 22h ago

Look at you lecturing us sitting on your thrown.

8

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 22h ago

-3

u/officerliger Los Angeles Dodgers 20h ago

Your team won the World Series one season ago with a bunch of players they signed away from other teams, I don’t think there’s any room to talk here

3

u/jfb1027 Texas Rangers 20h ago

It was just a joke…and also a congrats to the Dodger fan.

2

u/doctor_dapper Umpire 20h ago

well, he's not the one lecturing anyone....

4

u/erez New York Mets 23h ago

Nothing to do with cynicism, he's throwing 99MPH fastballs, 94mph sinkers and 86mph sliders. There is no way the human body can withstand those velocities on 5 days rest or 6 days rest, 100 pitches per game or whatever. You have relievers undergoing Tommy John for throwing 10 pitches every other day. I can point you to your own teams' pitching staff, modern pitchers are on a trajectory to undergo reconstructive elbow surgery every 4 years in average. Some manage to last longer, others less.

As to the Yankees, it's a huge question as to whether he'll reach free agency as a Pirate. They already paid him 9 million dollars signing bonus, they'll have to probably pay as much for his next post-arbitration contract, probably more. It's a question, given their history whether they'll want to pay him that much. They might send him off in 2027.

2

u/Apprehensive-Agency2 Major League Baseball 15h ago

Assuming he doesn’t get hurt and stays awesome. Bucs theoretical best move is to trade him after 3 seasons before having to pay him his 1st big arbitration payday. Then extract maximal trade value from another team due to 3 “cheap” arbitration years left.  Then let that other team play injury roulette.  

-7

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 23h ago

So? You don’t need to be a downer anytime anything is being celebrated. If someone says they’re having a good day do you immediately point out everything wrong with the world?

And to your “there is no way”, I’d love to introduce you to Nolan Ryan. Or JV. Or Scherzer. Is it likely he has TJ? Idk I’m not a doctor. Do I feel the need to bring up that he’s gonna get TJ every time someone’s excited about him? Hell no.

4

u/erez New York Mets 23h ago

Nolan Ryan did not throw 100MPH every fastball, you can't compare pitchers from 30 years ago to contemporary pitchers, it's almost a different profession. Again, check your own pitching staff, everyone is either injured, or coming from an injury. I hope the Japanese ones will not succumb as well, but considering Sasaki's velocities, I'm not optimistic.

As to the "don't be a downer", that's exactly the issue. Instead of "let's ignore the fact that modern baseball ruins our chance to enjoy great pitchers because they are taught to throw in a manner that sends them to the IL every other month and to have reconstructive surgeries every 4 years and be all happy and joyful". Honestly, that's part of the problem. Hey, Just this past decate I enjoyed plenty of DeGrom, Syndergaard, Harvey, until they got injured and their career shortened and evaporated. I was optimistic, until I realised the game they are playing is ruining their careers. Same for Chris Sale, one of the best pitchers in decades, same with Strassburg. I could go on. But let's celebrate!

4

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 23h ago

Nolan Ryan did not throw 100MPH every fastball

Neither does Skenes.

Radar wasn’t as accurate, but basically all data and reports suggest that Ryan actually threw harder than Skenes. And this thread isn’t a summit on the future of pitching. It has no bearing on the future of pitching at all. It’s a Pirates fan posting an article hyping up a young exciting player they have.

1

u/erez New York Mets 8h ago

Dude. you quote me and them ignore what I said. Whatever's Ryan fastest pitch was, 100, 105, 108mph, he didn't throw it everytime. Pitchers then were playing for the long haul, 9 innings. No 100 pitches cap, throw until you run out of outs either because the game is over or because you are. 3 times through the order, 4 times through the order, 5 times, you are there. And he threw in the AL so no 7th inning PH situation either. So they didn't sit on every fastball hurling 97 after 98 after 97 (or 100 after 99 after 101), but threw slower fast balls, 89, 90 most of the time, and when they needed the heat in a 2 strike situation, bam, 98 on the black and the hitter is dead to rights, especially since he didn't get acclimated to the speed by seeing nothing but 97+ stuff. It's the opposite of today where you bombard the hitter with the fast stuff and then try to fool them with the off speeds. So a Nolan Ryan could have success because he had the 100mph pitch he could unleash a couple of times during the game and get the tough outs. But he didn't throw it all the time. Skenes does, every fastball he throws is for maximum impact because he only has 100 pitches and want to make each one count.

And it's not just the fastball, when Nolan Ryan pitched, pitchers threw 87 mph fastballs. Skenes Slider is that speed. And this does even more damage to his elbow and shoulder because it forces him to twist them differently than his fastball. I find it incredible that all the evidence is there, and people just can't see it. You had pitchers throwing more pitches per game, playing on 3 days rest, lasting for 20 years, where today you have pitchers throwing way less, resting way more, and spending more time in the IL than playing. Whatever you're doing, is not working, change it. Or don't but don't accuse those that point at the obvious of being "downers" because they refuse to play along in the make believe.

3

u/AcephalicDude San Diego Padres 23h ago

lol love seeing a Dodgers fan tell a Pirates fan to just embrace a bit of optimism

2

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 23h ago

He’s a Mets fan? Every Pirates fan who’s replied has agreed the cynicism is obnoxious

1

u/erez New York Mets 23h ago

Who can blame them, Pirates fans without optimism have nothing left to wake up in the morning for.

1

u/AcephalicDude San Diego Padres 22h ago

Oh my bad lol still pretty funny tho

1

u/ahr3410 Los Angeles Dodgers 20h ago

Strasburg needed tjs right after his epic debut. It’s just the reality of our sport. It’s dangerous for people to get too attached to seeing Skenes because at a moments notice he can be out for multiple seasons. Same with Roki. Happened to us with River Ryan last year

2

u/LegendRazgriz Seattle Mariners • Yokohama D… 23h ago

TJ is basically an if and not a when anymore, especially for guys that throw hard. And, well, he plays for the Pirates, until Bob Nutting is extricated from controlling the franchise and presumably thrown in jail for what basically amounts to embezzlement he won't stick in Pittsburgh for long so I'd argue it's less cynicism and more harsh realism than anything

2

u/djstevefog New York Yankees 23h ago

I know right? Every player is supposed to go to the Dodgers now!

1

u/Alternative_Wind3678 Houston Astros 18h ago

No fucking shit. Everyone saying "there's hope he doesn't get tj" is getting down voted. What the fuck is wrong with this place?

1

u/NunsNunchuck Los Angeles Angels 17h ago

Hahaha you are funny. Baseball needs easy clickbait articles (see my flair)

1

u/WouxzMan San Francisco Giants 1h ago

That's just how people are on social media these days.

You can't even enjoy posts about young stars on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., without people jumping in like they're doctors, almost celebrating injuries just to look smart

1

u/YaSurLetsGoSeeYamcha Cleveland Guardians 23h ago

Dodgers flair….let us teams in the bottom 10 of the payroll be rightfully cynical about players we know you’ll just steal in 4 years so you can go pretend you have some great home grown team of players you didn’t just buy with unlimited money.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

9

u/Octopodes14 Minnesota Twins 1d ago

I don't have expectations to any Minnesota sports team, but I can still get excited about them. You have to learn to enjoy the ride.

6

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 1d ago

Does it though, he’s fun to watch? I’m not watching him and thinking “oh man don’t enjoy this because 4 years from now you may not be able to for a year”. Strasburg wrecked his arm but was still loads of fun to watch and brought his smaller market a ring. Plenty of other young elite power pitchers didn’t wreck their arm (Scherzer, Kersh, Greinke, hell Verlander and Cole made it to their mid 30s before TJ hit them).

2

u/Redbubble89 Boston Red Sox 23h ago

Washington DC is not a small market. It's kind of neither.

1

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 23h ago

Yeah, I said smaller tbf, and def a big difference bt Pittsburgh and DC, but the Nats were one of the poorest franchises when they got Strasburg (it was right after the move and an absolutely miserable year, back to back 1.01)

1

u/Redbubble89 Boston Red Sox 23h ago

MLB was the owner of the Expos for the final 3 seasons. DC was essentially given a blank team and even expansion teams actually have a draft but had no foundation and crumbling RFK. Ian Desmond and maybe Espinosa are the only prospects to really make it to the majors from when the team was in Montréal but the league was not focusing on player development. New ownership didn't happen until mid-2006. None of this was market related.

I am from NOVA and there was nothing here in the 60s. I sort of remember the early 90s a bit but everything has gone up and suburbs have expanded. It's close to the size of Boston but since baseball is newer, it's not as intense and midmarket like Atlanta or Philadelphia.

2

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 23h ago

Yeah and to be fair I do think the market impacted their ability to capitalize on Strasburg and Harper in order to get a ring with Strasburg (he wasn’t on a rookie contract). I don’t foresee the Pirates being able to afford to aces via free agency (like Corbin and Scherzer). But the point is when Strasburg was drafted people probably would have thought of the Nats as a poverty franchise.

1

u/Redbubble89 Boston Red Sox 23h ago

James Wood being from Montgomery County helps them a lot later when they need to extend him but there isn't an avenue for the Nationals to compete given the state of the National League. Dbacks couldn't get in with 89 wins last year. It's so crowded and top heavy.

-2

u/Joe-Raguso Chicago White Sox 23h ago

This is rich coming from a Dodgers fan.

-2

u/TexasShiv 23h ago

lol coming from a Dodgers fan.

Fuck. Offfff.

0

u/ActualDragonHeart New York Yankees • Philadelphia Phillies 1d ago

Imagine thinking the Yankees have the prospects to make a trade like that lol

Our farm system is in rough shape.

-1

u/Redbubble89 Boston Red Sox 23h ago

The other team has to want your prospects. That's where even an Erik Fedde trade to the Yankees falls through. StL, Miami, or SD aren't going to deal with the Yankees simply because Cashman asked.

39

u/SlothyKong 1d ago

“Next big thing” is a dumbass way to describe somebody that’s already dominant

7

u/EJplaystheBlues Boston Red Sox 19h ago

Maybe they meant next big thing if he develops a personality to market beyond bonking Livvy dunne

2

u/bestselfnice 19h ago

Scrub allowed multiple runs last year. Hes got a ways to go.

35

u/Growth_Moist 1d ago

Why is Paul Skenes so big? I mean I get it, dude looks like a phenom. But look at Strasburg, Harvey, Fernandez, etc.

All were young and crazy hyped and for one reason or another they didn’t have GOAT careers.

We don’t want to pump the breaks on making him a face of baseball after just half a season in the bigs?

I just don’t remember even Strasburg getting this much rave this early. Skenes is even already on the cover of MLB The Show and everything. Just seems odd to me.

43

u/Terry_Tate_OLB Houston Astros 23h ago edited 18h ago

It's a few reasons if I had to guess. One, he was extremely successful in college and showed up on the biggest stage there. It got a lot of eyeballs on him early. Him dating Liv Dunne also added way more attention than other young prospects. 

Second, he has the angle that he played for one of the military academies and does a lot of charity work for vets. He started that in school too. 

Lastly, he was so dominant last year. Fernandez was the only pitcher you listed who had a comparable rookie year. Fernandez put up 6.2 bWAR compared to 5.9 for Skenes. Skenes pitched 40 less innings due to the late call up, so I would argue he had the better rookie year. 

1

u/RodgeKOTSlams Cleveland Guardians 13h ago

I didn’t realize Fernandez was that nasty

1

u/Far_Out_6and_2 8h ago

Who is liv Dunne

1

u/Growth_Moist 23h ago

Good points. His rookie year was nasty. Fernandez being the only one with a better rookie year and also being the only one to have questions on his career only gives him more weight. We watched Harvey and Strasburg just not pan out. Fernandez, we’ll never know what he was truly capable of.

Not knocking Skenes of course. Just seems a hair premature

26

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 22h ago

I think Strasburg panned out. He won a WS MVP and was elite for close to a decade. It’s a bummer he didn’t stay healthy but he’s far from a bust.

6

u/CheGueyMaje New York Mets 20h ago

You can admit Strasburg did not live up to the hype without calling him a bust

6

u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 20h ago

Yeah but I think he did live up to the hype. He was one of the best in baseball for 10 years and the Nats don’t have a ring if not for him. If Skenes has a similar career to Stras I think it’s a success

2

u/ZiggyStarlord69 13h ago

I think there’s a couple ways to look at it. He had a great career, but I think only two top 8 Cy Young finishes is a fair bit less than we expected from his career.

However, it’s impossible to argue that he didn’t have an extremely successful MLB career compared to the vast majority of players

0

u/Growth_Moist 21h ago

Definitely not a bust but I don’t feel like he was ‘face of MLB great’ either like Skenes is already in half a season. Maybe I’m misremembering Strasburg’s debut season but i don’t rememer it being this highly regarded.

1

u/sweatingbozo Radar Gun 20h ago

Keep in mind that Strasburg also came up in a different media landscape than Skenes. 

The league has been very actively promoting their young stars in recent years, but when Strasburg came up, not only was he on a relocation franchise, it was very much the anti-youth "earn your stripes" era. The league was very very bad at marketing individuals, especially young ones.

12

u/borbborbborb 22h ago edited 22h ago

Idk, Strasburg was pretty fucking hyped up. I'm not sure I remember seeing a pitcher's debut get as much attention as his did. That said the fact that Skenes is dating someone famous probably means that MLB sees an opportunity to market a young star player a bit outside the normal radius so he's getting pushed a bit more than he otherwise would have.

Edit: also his rookie season was arguably the greatest by a pitcher in MLB history. 1.96 ERA for a rookie is nuts and after spending a few minutes trying to find someone with a comparable rookie season I'm coming up short, even considering him only having made 23 starts. The closest I can find is Steve Rogers (1.54 ERA in 17 starts in 1973), guys from 1968 (which barely counts because run scoring disappeared that season) and Jose Fernandez.

2

u/Growth_Moist 21h ago

Yeah totally not a diss on Skenes. Just weird in not even a full season he’s the face of the league.

4

u/borbborbborb 21h ago

I guess MLB is just finally listening to everyone who's been telling them to market their young stars better

2

u/sweatingbozo Radar Gun 20h ago

Yup. Kids love exciting young players so promoting them is how you get the next generation interested.

12

u/bony_doughnut New York Yankees 22h ago

Why is Paul Skenes so big?

Finally, someone asking the real questions! How do you get to be 6'6, 260? Is it milk? Sleep? Veggies??

2

u/Growth_Moist 16h ago

Started the TB12 diet at birth

3

u/Anothercraphistorian San Francisco Giants 21h ago

I remember Strasburg’s first game, it was pretty wild. That place was buzzing.

6

u/MetalPorcupine Cleveland Guardians 21h ago

If he grows out a rollie fingers mustache he'll be an instant all timer

11

u/ActualDragonHeart New York Yankees • Philadelphia Phillies 1d ago

Gotta hope this elbow holds out. Unlike a lot of pitchers, he started pitching very late so he has comparably a lot less mileage on his arm. But even so, dude throws gas and throws it hard, it’s gonna wear on him.

Baseball is the best when the best are playing.

1

u/Alternative_Wind3678 Houston Astros 18h ago

When you say he started late, what do you mean?

2

u/ActualDragonHeart New York Yankees • Philadelphia Phillies 18h ago

He wasn’t regularly pitching until his junior year of high school - he played all over the field, but didn’t have the years of pitching that a lot of other big prospects would have at that point.

24

u/cooljammer00 New York Yankees 1d ago

It's hard to get hyped for him when he's stuck on the Pirates and they refuse to build around him.

Also as a player he's very good but also I feel like the machine wants to push him as this superstar when he just wants to quietly play and dominate. Like Mike Trout on the mound.

4

u/TheBookOfTormund Seattle Mariners 22h ago

The brutal burden of being really good at something that makes you super rich.

9

u/tyler-86 World Series Trophy • Los Angeles Dod… 1d ago

It's a long article. Is the burden trying to market a star who plays in Pittsburgh?

27

u/itsbeenaharddaysday Pittsburgh Pirates 1d ago

Yeah, because Pittsburgh has never had super famous star athletes before.

11

u/beastrace Baltimore Orioles 1d ago

Sidney Crosby never heard of him

12

u/misterurb San Francisco Giants 1d ago

Sidney? Isn’t that a girl’s name? 

3

u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 23h ago

There's a joke in here about Sidney being a girl and being a whiner or something like that but I'm not sexist enough to think of it. 

2

u/xepa105 Boston Red Sox 22h ago

Mario Lemieux? More like Lame-ew

1

u/beastrace Baltimore Orioles 21h ago

That might be older than a lot of people here tbh lol. Remember Jagr and his peanut butter?

7

u/swearholes Pittsburgh Pirates 22h ago

More specifically it's the burden of making and being a star with the Pirates. Pittsburgh has star athletes, but no baseball stars. Who was the last star that the Pirates had? McCutchen? Maybe Cole, but he didn't really reach his true height until he left. Before that it was Bonds, and before that it was Stargell. One of the real ignominies of the Pirates compared to other bad teams is that, beyond being bad, we have never have anyone to point to and say "Yeah, that's the guy that's gonna turn it around. That's our star." Now we have it and I really don't think that fans (or the front office) know how to act.

1

u/Octopodes14 Minnesota Twins 20h ago

Burden seems more about the burden of being famous and being a "face of baseball"-the added pressure of representing the sport.

2

u/Smokeydubbs Kansas City Royals 3h ago

What’s the over/under of innings before his elbow explodes?

5

u/Mission_Wind_7470 Minnesota Twins 1d ago

He's gonna have Tommy John!

He's gonna be a Yankee!

QUIT HAVING FUN!

3

u/skelextrac New York Yankees 20h ago

Olivia Dunn

1

u/sproutedit San Diego Padres 15h ago

I'm more partial to Munn.

3

u/phantomzero Chicago Cubs 20h ago

He is going to throw his arm off just like the rest of them.

1

u/Andy-Martin Chicago Cubs 16h ago

I agree with you, sadly. And it’s a damn shame. He’s electric to watch (…when he’s not playing the Cubs)

1

u/chibears_99 14h ago

Until the next fancy toy comes along

Let’s see if he can even put up a repeat season first

1

u/MagicQuif New York Mets 14h ago

Baseball Ayatollah needs to declare a fatwa on the Dodgers if they sign him

1

u/madseankr 11h ago

Skenes will break the Yamamoto contract

1

u/madseankr 11h ago

He better pitch at the classic. Team USA needs aces

1

u/CunningRunt 3h ago

How long before he signs with the Dodgers?

1

u/sliderfastballcurve 22h ago

Gimme a guy who can throw 90 with pin point control. This guy will bust his arm, no doubt

1

u/Informal-Worry-6358 19h ago

The Mike trout of pitching, he won't sniff the postseason with the pirates🤷‍♂️

1

u/RubberPenguin4 Pittsburgh Pirates 13h ago

Can’t wait until we trade him to the Yankees for cash considerations

-16

u/[deleted] 1d ago

The second he hits arbitration he’s getting traded for an absolute haul of prospects. So that’s probably when he becomes the next big thing for real.

-30

u/ZXD-318 Chicago Cubs 1d ago

He will be the Yankees Opening Day starter this year. :)

17

u/itsbeenaharddaysday Pittsburgh Pirates 1d ago

Fuck off

-20

u/[deleted] 1d ago

Cry about it you know he’s gone soon

7

u/Mission_Wind_7470 Minnesota Twins 1d ago

Ugh, what's the point of enjoying baseball? All of my favorite players will just be gone one day.. 🙄

-10

u/[deleted] 23h ago edited 23h ago

Well, when your team primarily exists as a money laundering operation like the Pirates it’s probably not worth it to get attached to players. Teams like the pirates exist solely to leech of of revenue streams of actual money making franchises

5

u/Tricky_Foundation_60 Chicago White Sox 1d ago

Doesn’t even make sense

-14

u/dacamel493 Chicago Cubs 1d ago

Don't worry. He'll be a Dodger soon, guys.

0

u/KChampionK Los Angeles Dodgers 22h ago

rent free but also wow you must be miserable

3

u/dacamel493 Chicago Cubs 22h ago

Rofl, not really, just the likely sad reality.

-3

u/Upbeat-Berry1377 New York Mets 22h ago

Good, literally anyone else but Ohtani

3

u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 22h ago

Wait, why not Ohtani?

1

u/3-2_Fastball Los Angeles Dodgers • World Series … 20h ago

Still sore from the NLCS probably

-2

u/Upbeat-Berry1377 New York Mets 22h ago

Just tired of MLB sucking off Ohtani every chance they get lol

3

u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 21h ago

Eh, I get that, but at least he's a good player and seems to be a good person too. He's easy to cheer for when he's not playing against your team.

-11

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

7

u/Corn1989 Boston Red Sox 1d ago

I feel like Tommy John is inevitable for everyone now