All about Paul Skenes, the hard-throwing top baseball prospect who made his MLB debut

The newest superstar in Major League Baseball has arrived.

On May 11, highly prized pitching prospect Paul Skenes made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates when he started against their National League Central rival Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Skenes pitched four innings, giving up three runs and scattering six hits, while throwing a total of 84 pitches. Those numbers belie some of his electric stuff, as he struck out seven batters and reached 100 miles per hour on 17 pitches.

He did not factor in the decision as the Pirates held on for a 10-9 win in a game that was delayed more than two hours due to rain.

On May 8, the Pirates announced they were calling up Skenes. Just prior to his start, the Pirates officially added Skenes to their roster.

Skenes, 21, is one of the most heralded and electric prospects in the game, armed with a fastball that has averaged a blistering 99.9 miles per hour in the minor leagues in 2024 that has made him one of the biggest storylines in baseball during the first quarter of the season, even though he had yet to play a major league game.

So, just who is this player that the Pirates hope will transform their fortunes and turn them into a perennial contender? Read on to learn about Skenes and his journey to the big leagues.

How did the Pirates wind up with Paul Skenes?

The Pirates, who have not been to a World Series since they last won the Fall Classic in 1979, selected Skenes with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.

His $9.2 million signing bonus was the largest for a drafted player in Major League Baseball history.

The Pirates, a franchise whose roots date back to 1876, have only produced two Cy Young Award winners (the award given to the best pitcher in each league) in its history, and Skenes represents the team’s best chance to have a dominant frontline starter since Gerrit Cole, another former No. 1 overall pick (in 2011) who now plays for the New York Yankees.

The Pirates could certainly use an infusion of talent from someone of Skenes' caliber, too. The team has only won five World Series in its existence and hasn't made the playoffs since 2015. They haven't won a playoff game since beating the Cincinnati Reds in the National League wild card in 2013. In short, the Pirates need a boost.

"Selfishly, I was really fired up that I was picked by the Pirates, first pick aside,” Skenes said after he signed with the team, according to MLB.com. “(I) just can’t wait to start the journey."

Where did Paul Skenes go to college?

Born in Fullerton, California, Skenes pitched for Louisiana State University in 2023, guiding the Tigers to the College World Series title.

His numbers there were the stuff of legend: He went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA, striking out 209 batters in 122 2/3 innings — an astonishing ratio.

His dominance resulted in a slew of awards, as he was named the Division 1 Baseball National Player of the Year, Dick Howser Trophy winner, Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year, College World Series Most Outstanding Player and SEC Pitcher of the Year.

Prior to his time at LSU, Skenes attended the United States Air Force Academy and was a force there. In 2022, he went 10-3 with a 2.73 ERA and 96 strikeouts and also proved to be a menace at the plate, hitting .314 and drilling 13 home runs, making him the only Division I player that season to reach double digits in wins as a pitcher and home runs as a hitter.

He wasn’t the only stud on his 2023 LSU team

Skenes’ teammate at LSU, outfielder Dylan Crews, went No. 2 in the draft, to the Washington Nationals. He’s currently in Double-A and is considered a Top 10 prospect. They became the first teammates to go 1-2 in the history of the draft, which dates back to 1965.

How did Paul Skenes do in the minor leagues?

Skenes rocketed through the minors. In 2024 he played with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, sporting a miniscule 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings, failing to give up a run until his fifth start of the season. Indeed, he is a strikeout machine.

After getting drafted, he coasted through three levels of minor league play in 2023, advancing from rookie ball to Double-A. He has started a total of 12 games in his brief minor league career.

He’s dating another star athlete

Skenes is going out with Livvy Dunne, a gymnast and social media superstar who won her own national championship at LSU when the women's gymnastics team won its first title earlier this year.

“You know what, it is still feeling just unreal,” Dunne told TODAY on April 22 after her team won the championship. “I’m still trying to get my voice back from cheering so loud. It was an unforgettable experience, and I’ll probably be thinking about it for the rest of my life.”

Dunne celebrated Skenes’ promotion to the big leagues.

“Here we go! @paulskenes,” she captioned a photo of the Pirates’ announcement on her Instagram story on May 8.

He comes from good pedigree

Skenes attended El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, which is the alma mater of two current star major league third basemen, Nolan Arenado and Matt Chapman. The school has also produced a long list of other players who made the majors.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com