Paul Skenes will be the first to admit that he wasn’t the leader of the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, instead taking a deferential disposition toward franchise icon Andrew McCutchen and other veteran players.
Now that Skenes has asserted his dominance as a two-time All-Star starting pitcher, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner and played a starring role for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, he wants to convince the Pirates that they can be a contender.
“Winning doesn’t have any loyalty to anybody,” Skenes told TribLive. “It doesn’t matter who the leader of the team is if you win. Cutch was great. He was and is a great example for the young team that we had. He can’t do it by himself.”
Neither can Skenes, who will make his second consecutive Opening Day start for the Pirates when he faces the New York Mets at 1:15 p.m. Thursday at Citi Field in a game nationally televised by NBC. The 23-year-old right-hander is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, so winning the Cy Young by unanimous vote gives him credibility in the clubhouse.
“I feel his presence is enough,” Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds said.
What Skenes wants more than anything is to will the Pirates into clinching their first winning season since 2018 and first playoff appearance in a decade. Manager Don Kelly was adamant that winning is what drives Skenes to always strive to be better, more so than any individual accolades, and Skenes isn’t shy about saying he wants the Pirates to win their first World Series since 1979.
“When you say he wants to be great, the personal stuff is secondary,” Kelly said at the outset of spring training. “Paul Skenes wants to win – and that’s what drives him every single day. He wants to go out and win, and he wants to be great. When you talk about him as a competitor, it’s hard to say what can push him even further. Nobody is going to push Paul Skenes as hard as he pushes himself.”
Despite Skenes posting an MLB-best 1.97 ERA and setting a franchise record for most strikeouts by a right-hander (216) last season, the Pirates went 17-15 in his starts and provided little in the way of run support last year. They were aggressive in adding some pop to the batting order, by way of trading for two-time All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe and signing 2025 All-Star slugger Ryan O’Hearn to play right field and three-time All-Star Marcell Ozuna as designated hitter.
Most important, all three bring playoff experience to the Pirates.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that are in a position to lead now, which makes it easier because I’m not on an island with that sort of thing – not that I was last year. I wouldn’t say I was the leader of the team last year,” Skenes said, rattling off McCutchen, Reynolds, Mitch Keller, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Tommy Pham. “The difference last year is we weren’t really clear on what we were trying to accomplish. This year, we are.”
Skenes is by far the best player on the Pirates, and they needed him to take ownership. If that meant moving on from McCutchen to pass the torch from one franchise great to the next, the Pirates were willing to do so – even if it parting ways with McCutchen was unpopular.
Skenes said he was deferential to McCutchen last season out of respect for the five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP who led the Pirates to three consecutive wild-card playoff appearances from 2013-15. But Skenes has no shortage of confidence, having been a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy before transferring to LSU, leading the Tigers to the College World Series championship and being drafted No. 1 overall in 2023.
“Looking back, I think that’s what it was,” Skenes said. “I do believe that I know how to win. So do a lot of other guys that have been on the team. Until you’ve proved yourself in this league, it defaults to the guys who’ve proved themselves and have the (service) time to go with it. That’s kind of what happened. …
“I think having success in the league probably helps. That’s probably why I’m getting more questions. The meat and potatoes of what I’m doing now hasn’t changed in going on three years.”
Skenes is so dedicated to and disciplined in his two-hour pregame routine that Team USA manager Mark DeRosa called him so process-oriented that he’s like “a robot.” DeRosa said that Team USA determined that it would likely face the Dominican Republic in the WBC semifinals, which would require the top pitcher to face its dangerous batting order.
In a guest appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter, DeRosa marveled at how Skenes made a “special presence” when he showed up in an electric blue suit with a while collared shirt: “He wanted the moment.”
By holding the Dominicans to one run in four innings – on a solo shot by Junior Caminero – Skenes proved that he can perform at his best on the biggest stage. The Pirates’ young starting pitchers have seen Skenes show leadership by example, with candid conversations in private or by providing support while standing behind a screen with A.J. Burnett to watch close friend Jared Jones throw his first live batting practice since surgery on his right elbow.
“He’s the man. People always ask me about him and I love talking about him,” Pirates rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler said. “He’s a great leader. He does a lot of stuff that goes unseen. He’s really cool. The way he comes in every day is special. I hope the younger guys, the guys who haven’t played in the big leagues, look at him and say, ‘That’s what I need to strive to be.’ That’s a model. The standard is what he does every day.
“I think in his mind he knows that he’s really freaking good but, at any point in time, if he slips he can be the worst. The way he prepares is if he hadn’t won a Cy Young or rookie of the year, as if he hadn’t even played above Low-A yet. That’s how he prepares. That’s why he’s so special. It starts every day until he goes to bed. It’s a constant focus on getting better. That’s what you want in a guy.”
What Kelly wants to see from Skenes is someone whose attitude and approach are contagious without feeling the burden to carry the team on his shoulders. It’s paramount that the Pirates provide support for Skenes this season but as important that they follow his lead and elevate their expectations.
“It’s easier to do it when you have other guys who believe in it,” Skenes said. “That’s what it comes down to. We have a team full of guys who have bought in on the same thing. Time will tell what we really have – it always does, over the course of 162 games – but everybody has bought in. The conversations we’re having internally are different this year. It makes it a lot easier.”