Paul Skenes’ Triple-A debut was short but perfect.
The right-hander, Paul Skenes, was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He pitched for the Indianapolis Indians at Louisville, striking out five of the nine batters he faced and not letting any of them reach base in three innings on Saturday afternoon.
Skenes' longest career outing lasted 6 2/3 innings across three levels last summer. As the top pitching prospect in baseball, Skenes threw 29 of his 46 pitches for strikes, touching triple digits multiple times and reaching a top speed of 101.2 mph.
Paul Skenes is ready for the Show.
Is MLB ready for him? pic.twitter.com/HPrs5KZwF4
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 30, 2024
Paul Skenes RHP @indyindians
*Triple-A debut*9⬆️9⬇️
5 Ks
and so much ???? #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/AwDk1ttdOk— Pittsburgh Pirates Player Development Report (@PGHplayerDev) March 30, 2024
Skenes struck out the first two and four of the first six batters, averaging 100 mph on 21 four-seam fastballs and getting six whiffs on 14 swings. He showcased a diverse set of pitches, throwing 11 sliders and nine “splinkers” — a mix between a sinker and splitter — in addition to three curveballs and two changeups.
In the first inning, Skenes struck out Jacob Hurtubise with a 100.8-mph four-seam fastball and Hernan Perez with an 88.2-mph slider before Blake Dunn flied out to center field.
The second inning began with Mike Ford taking a 100.5-mph four-seamer for a called third strike. P.J. Higgins then popped out to second base, and Michael Trautwein was struck out after foul-tipping a 100.5-mph four-seamer.
In the third inning, Louisville’s Rece Hinds grounded out to second base. This was followed by a nine-pitch at-bat against Conner Capel, who worked a 3-1 count before fouling off the next five pitches and eventually striking out on a foul tip. Francisco Urbaez faced Skenes for six pitches before grounding out to third base on a curveball.
Skenes was replaced by left-hander Eric Lauer in the fourth inning.
