Paul Skenes, the National League Rookie of the Year, is focused on his present with the Pittsburgh Pirates, not on his long-term future. The 22-year-old pitcher, who made a major impact after being the top pick in the 2023 draft, has not given much thought to the possibility of signing an extension with the team.
“I haven’t given it too much thought,” Skenes said during a recent interview. “But I love playing in Pittsburgh, and I’m excited to get down to spring training.”
Despite the Pirates’ quiet offseason and the growing concerns among fans about the team’s future, Skenes remains grounded in the present. Pittsburgh has yet to make significant moves in free agency, which has left fans worried about losing the young star.
Skenes made an instant impact in his debut season, impressing with his 100 mph fastball and confidence. He was a key player in the Pirates’ late-season push to secure a wild card spot, ending the franchise’s long postseason drought.
However, general manager Ben Cherington has not been aggressive in acquiring new talent to improve the offense. While Pittsburgh has locked up players like Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller, the future of Skenes is uncertain.
He will be eligible for arbitration after the 2026 season, which raises questions about whether the team will be able to retain him, given the club’s history of parting ways with high-end pitchers like Gerrit Cole and Joe Musgrove before they became too costly.
For now, Skenes is focused on his current role with the Pirates. He is preparing to join the team for spring training in Bradenton, Florida, without any concerns about innings limits, which were imposed last season to protect his arm. He was fully on board with the idea but is now ready to pitch more innings in 2024.
“I’m going to be ready to throw 240 innings,” Skenes said. “It’s not going to be 160 innings again. I know that. It’s gonna be much more, ‘Take the ball and pitch.’”
Off the field, Skenes is also taking on a leadership role in the clubhouse. He has been speaking with veterans from other teams during the offseason to gather insights on what it takes to create a winning culture.
Though he isn’t sure exactly what that will look like yet, he plans to have more influence in shaping the team’s environment. However, he is careful not to overstep his boundaries as a young player.
“I don’t know what the character of that will be, but I’ll have probably a little more say-so,” he said. “I’m not going to overstep, but winning is winning. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to make it happen.”
Skenes is fully committed to the Pirates’ success and has been working hard this offseason in Charlotte, North Carolina. While he has quickly gained attention for his success on the field, he is learning how to manage his newfound fame. He mentioned that the offseason gives him a break from the constant spotlight, but he is already accustomed to the attention that comes with being a rising star.
“I’m going to have to get used to it,” Skenes said about the fame. “It never completely goes away. That’s just how it is. It’s the new normal.”
Skenes’ fame even led to a viral moment when a fan on a flight from Chicago to Pittsburgh asked for his autograph on a copy of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.” Despite the unusual request, Skenes happily obliged, and the incident quickly spread online.
While Skenes is aware of the challenges the Pirates face compared to top teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, he refuses to let that be an excuse for failure. He remains committed to the idea that fundamental baseball and strong execution can lead to success, regardless of the team’s financial resources.
“There’s no reason we can’t play fundamental baseball and execute at a very high level without having players like (Shohei Ohtani),” he said. “It’s not a complicated game.”
For now, Skenes is focused on improving himself and his team, determined to lead the Pirates back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
