The Most Anticipated Call-Up Has Finally Happened: Paul Skenes Called Up To Pirates, Scheduled To Start Saturday

When it was time for the 2023 MLB Draft, two players seemed right for the Pittsburgh Pirates: LSU Pitcher Paul Skenes and LSU Outfielder Dylan Crews. The pick was up in the air due to signing bonus questions and reports that Crews wanted a record-breaking number. Thus, Pittsburgh went with Skenes as the number one overall pick.

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The Pirates had a lot of hope for Skenes, as he was a dominant pitcher in college with a 13-2 overall record and a 1.69 ERA. He had one of the best collegiate pitching performances in history and many believed that he was MLB-ready before the draft. The Pirates wanted to have full confidence in the young pitcher, limiting him to 75 pitches per start and waiting to call him up to make sure they would not have to pull him back down. 

Skenes gave many Pirates fans hope for the future with his early success. He started his career with the Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A Affiliate of the Pirates) to start out his professional career and instantly made an impact. In seven games for the Indians, he pitched 27.1 innings allowing only seventeen hits, four runs, and an ERA of just 0.99 to show for it. Combined with this, his 45 strikeouts and 100 mph fastballs garnered Skenes a lot of media attention.

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With his immediate success in Triple-A, Pittsburgh fans have been anxious for a call-up but the wait is no more. The future is now as the Pirates organization have announced that Skenes will get his first look at the Majors on Saturday, May 11th, when the Pirates take on the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park.