The Pirates selected LSU right-hander Paul Skenes with the first overall pick of the 2023 amateur draft. The 21-year-old Skenes joins Henry Davis (2021), Gerrit Cole (2011), Bryan Bullington (2002), Kris Benson (1996), and Jeff King (1986) as players selected by Pittsburgh as the first overall pick. FanSided’s Robert Murray was the first to report that Pittsburgh was taking Skenes.
In a draft class that is heavier on position players in the top tier, Skenes has long stood out as the best pitcher of this year’s prospects, and one of the favorites to go first overall. MLB Pipeline ranked Skenes as the top overall draft prospect of 2023, while Baseball America ranked him second (behind LSU teammate Dylan Crews) and Fangraphs, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel all had Skenes third.
The pundits are unanimous in their praise for Skenes’ fastball (which touches 100 mph) and slider, which are both considered plus-plus pitches. Relying mostly on this two-pitch arsenal, Skenes dominated collegiate batters, helping lead LSU to the College World Series title. His changeup is a bit more of a work in progress simply because Skenes hasn’t thrown it all that much, but Pipeline’s scouting report describes the pitch as “88-93 mph with fade and is a solid offering when he lands it in the strike zone.” Skenes has strong command of his pitches, and he has a classic pitcher’s build at 6’6 and 235 pounds. If this wasn’t enough, Skenes was also an excellent hitter while playing as a catcher before he focused entirely on pitching — while there hasn’t been any two-way speculation, it at least speaks to Skenes’ athleticism.
The Pirates earned the top pick via the first-ever MLB Draft Lottery, which took place last December at the Winter Meetings. In an effort to combat tanking, the lottery was instituted in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement as a new method to determine the top six picks in the draft order. All 18 of the non-playoff teams technically had a shot at earning a top-six pick, though naturally teams with worse records had better chances of landing one of those top spots. The Nationals and Athletics each had worse records than the Pirates’ 62-100 mark in 2022, but it was Pittsburgh who lucked out and landed the first overall pick.
The Bucs’ rebuild has made them regulars near the top of the draft in recent years, but between these selections, their additional picks later in the draft, international signings and prospects picked up in trades, the Pirates are hopeful that their young core is getting ready to turn the franchise around. We saw some hints of promise with the Pirates’ excellent 19-9 record in April, though their subsequent struggles indicate that Pittsburgh’s true breakout might be at least one more season away.
With light perhaps at the end of the rebuilding tunnel, the Pirates certainly hope that this is the last time they’ll have such a high pick (barring some major lottery luck) in the foreseeable future. This makes Skenes an even more important prospect as perhaps the last consensus blue-chipper the Pirates might be selecting in the coming years, and he immediately becomes the club’s most prized pitching prospect. Since Ben Cherington was hired as Pittsburgh’s GM in November 2019, his front offices have favored position players with their top picks — Nick Gonzales seventh overall in 2020, Davis first overall in 2021, and Termarr Johnson fourth overall last year.
The first overall pick has an assigned slot value of $9,721,000, and it remains to be seen if finances might have played some role in Pittsburgh’s choice of Skenes. Crews was rumored to be wanting an above-slot signing bonus, so taking Skenes might have been a better financial fit for the Pirates, plus Skenes was in no way a reach at 1-1. With a $16,185,700 bonus pool to work with, the Bucs have plenty of flexibility to sign Skenes and spread some money around to other highly-touted prospects further down the board.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Glad for Pirates fans! This guy looks legit.
They should’ve selected Ohtani, Judge, or Acuna. I never understand why teams don’t draft proven guys already in the league. There isn’t a specific rule preventing a little monkey business so why not take advantage of a loophole.
I’m sure had you made this recommendation to Ben Cherington he’d have given it serious consideration
NOT!
I never understand why teams don’t draft proven guys already in the league.
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Is this a language thing? Because I don’t understand how you draft “proven guys”.
Joe-A whimsical silly post from Ejemp.
Some light humor.
Another pitcher that wont pan out. Shouldve went position player
You realize this pitcher can hit too?
Reds-Another classy post.
Pirate fans are used to too many trolls.
I think that you were the guy who gave one when the Bucs swept your Reds early in the year.
I told you that better times were ahead for your young players,especially your pitchers.
Good luck to you and the Redleg team who is leading the division.
Really thought the pick would be Crews. Pitcher health does not inspire such confidence…at least that was my logic.
Logic was that the pirates didn’t have confidence they would sign crews as rumor was he was asking for a lot so they took the best pitcher available
That’s why so many had them going with Langford or a couple other guys who have agents who don’t demand a king’s ransom. They’re still going to pay a high price with Skenes and that’s fine
Scott Boras is a shrewd agent but he’s also hated by just about every club management
Lmao TheMan, Boras is not hated by FO’s, he’s respected for being the best at his damn job
Hilarious how fans refuse to acknowledge the respect. Grow up.
Hmmm….he’s either hated, loved, or teams are ambivalent about
him. We all know
its not the last two.
Hated? I think you’re projecting simpleton baseball fans’ feelings onto “every club management.”
Boras is bad for the game because he upsets the fans with inflammatory PR statements. Obviously, Boras and his staff are highly competent and successful at their jobs.
Anyone who gets millions for playing a game should be humble and grateful when others have less pleasant and lower paying jobs. What do the Front Offices think? Probably a few FOs dislike him because he has burned them publicly. But most probably just look at the bottom line of a possible contract.
The one thing that I really dislike is the idea of $100+ million contracts with multiple opt-outs. But that is not Boras’ fault, a FO can always offer to pay more money without including an opt-out.
Sports is all about hype in the moment and legends told about the past. Boras feeds the machine by keeping us talking and engaged.
I wish salaries weren’t going plaid balastic speed out of this universe but if they weren’t then Id have one less thing to complain about and fewer reasons to talk sports.
Boras is an agent whose responsibility includes making deals with ownerships and that also includes working out deals that include opt outs so he’s absolutely responsible
Wrong
prove me wrong, don’t just say it
Name one owner that enjoys bartering with Boras on contract negotiations
I’ll wait
No, he’s hated. Even Moneyball had Billy Beane hating on him, which was based on the true negotiations. And not sure what growing up has to do with a statement. Seems you’re the one that needs to grow up.
That’s the sign of a weak GM. If you like a Boras client, put a number on him and stick with it. It is not complicated.
according to draft rules, if a player declines to play for the team that drafted him over a contract dispute, that player must sit out the remainder of the draft until next year
That’s why they didn’t choose Crews
I honestly don’t think it came down to that
To me, this season provided a clear view of the Pirates pitching situation for the foreseeable future. Skenes is hard throwing guy with good breaking pitches. He’s polished and of good character. I think they saw him as addressing the more immediate need
The Yankees fired their hitting coach and hired Sean Casey to take his place
When is Pittsburgh going to dump Haines? Someone must be held accountable for this team’s failure at scoring runs
They need someone like Jon Taffer and his Bar Rescue team to come in, sit these guys down, scream the riot act at them, do a simulated game where their flaws are illustrated, do some more screaming and rebuild the whole thing
Yeah. If only life imitates art
Both Cherington and Shelton are too nice to be able to do the tough things that are necessary to make this team better.
Not sure what the role of the President is beside business matters but Nutting is going to have get involved at some point like he did in 2019.
Pirates have the most $ to spend. If they couldn’t sign Crews no one could. By going with Skenes the tell Boras where to stick it with his demands. Allows them to have $ to get another 1st round talent later in draft.
Crews is one of the best hitting prospects in a decade but has some flaws and flags. Langford isn’t far off, equal or better. But Skenes is one of the best pitch prospects in draft history according to most scouts. Got best player and likely cheaper.
I was wondering when you’d show up. Welcome back, Dream
Dude looks like he’s a washed up 45 yr old already
Eric McDaniel confirmed this about 10 ago along with Crews at 2.
Dang that’s rough for Skenes
Not to bad of a gig going number 1, getting 9 million, fast tracked through minors, playing for a contender in a pitcher friendly park.
Pittsburgh is a little bit nicer of a place than Baton Rouge.
Why do you say that? he’s a number one pick
3 A plus pitches. Looks legit hopefully he stays healthy
It’s going to be interested to see how quickly the Pirates get him to the big leagues. He’s a polished pitcher, as was Stephen Strasberg when the Nats elevated him quickly.
Other than Keller, there really isn’t another consistent pitcher on staff although Brubaker will be returning and Priester and Burrows( recovery pending) will be on the cusp.
Fascinating pick. Can’t wait to see how this evolved
Don’t forget about Anthony Solometo. He snuck into the updated top 100 prospects, 98 I think.
Not on staff. Keller may be only starter of 2023 that will be on 2025 2026. Maybe not even him if he isn’t extended. Ton of pitching at lower levels. Solo should be part of that.
Corn- Barring injury,late next year.
About that time they should be getting back Burrowes,Kranick,and Brubaker.
How long until he requests a trade and ends up in LA or NY?
The last player that “requested” a trade in MLB was Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds and where is he?…That’s right, he’s where he always was, in Pittsburgh, because things don’t work the same in MLB as they do in the NBA or even the NFL.
how long?
6 years and then he’s eligible for free agency
Won’t be here until 2024 at earliest. Might be 2025. 6 years after that before free agency. Pirates probably trade him before his team control is done.
If he joins the MLB team tomorrow, it’s at least 7
But sure bro
Pirates took the best player. You don’t see guys who sit at 98 and hit 100 or more often and late. 1 year track record is as good as it gets. What he did as a 2 way player was impressive. Slider is as elite as his fastball. Solid change up that has flashed good to great. Very athletic. Size.
You can find a Crews much easier than a Skenes. Riskier taking a pitcher but this is one of those few years you should.
I wanted Skenes over Crews simply because the only way the Pirates get a pitcher with his potential is through the draft. The Bucs aren’t going to give out a 200+ million contract or trade a handful of top prospects for a top of the rotation starter. Can’t pass on chances to get a guy of Skenes’ potential in your system.
Not going to pay for a bat either. Other than Cole most your biggest contracts are bats. I like Skenes pick.
The Pirates took an extremely talented player, however I don’t feel they took the best player. Crews was the clear #1 to me. It’s very rare that you see a bat like his that projects to stick in CF. The Nationals got a gift.
Pirates took the best player.
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I agree. Pitchers are riskier than position players, but the payoff is huge. And risk is always related to the payoff. Skenes feels a lot less risky than previous SPs like Rocker & Leiter.
If he doesn’t get injured, he looks like one of the best SPs we’ve seen in a while.
Crews made it very clear he’s better than the entire city of Pittsburgh.
Frankly, I don’t care how good of a prospect you are, how many prospects litter the side of the road on the way to MLB, so maybe prove something before talking.
As a Pittsburgher, I agree with your thinking, no matter the sport
I’ve been watching and listening to Crews for some time and what I heard, at least, was that he wasn’t thrilled about playing in Pittsburgh, alluding to the money he wanted. He bandied about the idea of a $10M contract
Maybe I’m wrong but I think the Pirates are farther along in the rebuild than are the Nats. Hope he enjoys DC
He would’ve signed, would’ve been over slot almost guaranteed, Skenes likely will too.
Sitting out the season could hurt his draft stock and it isn’t going to get any better than now. His payday wouldn’t change much. Other than the signing bonus he would still get a rookie contract with arbitration. If the team is winning during that time maybe he extends or he gets traded to a team in the mix near the end of his rookie deal… that is if he doesn’t fall apart. TL:DR; He is leaving money on the table and would likely be on a contender before his rookie contract expires, either with the Pirates or a trade closer to the end of his deal.
If he was coming out of High school, it could make some sense he wouldn’t sign, Still more likely that his stock would go down than it would improve.
Assuming they are up to the hype, Skenes or Crews could see time in 2024 depending on where the team stands. It is less likely they would have that opportunity on a ‘shoe in’ contender where there maybe established players
IMO: anyone who has finished their education should sign regardless of where they are in the first round. Playing like you won’t is just a bargaining chip…. Still, Given that there was another player who’s stock is just as good overall (imo: better) you go with them
An LSU education is about as good as high school……
I think the variability makes his peak deGrom (I have heard the comp before), but his floor might be that he becomes a reliver. I guess that’s too much variance for some club. I’m no scout, but that’s the thing they said about Rocker, and many hard throwers turn into a reliver.
Good on the Buc-Os. Hope this sends them to an upward trajectory for the future
This is the guy the trade rumors will swirl around in about 6 years for the rebuilding Pirates club.
It was going to be crews or skenes. The talk of signing lower sounds crazy.
Both are needs. both are the top rated at their positions (and the whole draft class) and the Pirates have the money to sign either.
This isn’t a Henry Davis type situation, signing lower to spend later. Davis was the highest rated at the position the team needed most
Also both Crews and Skenes are 21. This is good for the pirates in two ways. 1> they have a faster track to the MLB. 2> they are more likely to sign other wise they lose possible time. They still will be slot value, probably more. unless something comes up with physicals or what have you.
Next pick other than pitcher.. based on need should be a first base or outfield. first base is often converted from other positions so…
turns out they didn’t go for position needs 🙂
Yeah. Agree. And so they take another SS. Just how many middle infielders can this organization have?
someone has to replace Castro, Cornwhisperer
now if they could only replace Haines
Paul Skenes is another member of El Toro High School joining Nolan Arenado, Matt Chapman, Austin Romine and some others on the pipe line.
Aside from Cole that’s a pretty uninspiring list of 1-1 selections… hope he loves up to the pick.
Spencer strider 2.0 same arsenal
Pirates should have been drafting ss but Tucker is only one I can remember. Jebb is likely 2b 3b or because of his speed outfield. Utility player.
I would have never passed on Crews.
It was a toss up for me. Pirates need offense but i’m pretty happy it was Skenes.
Skenes has more paths to the MLB and Quality Outfielders are easier to get than Quality Starters in the open market.
I kind of looked at it as an everyday player who is also a big time hitter can give your team more than the 12-15 wins a stud pitcher can in a given season
Hence, I thought Crews was the better choice as the Pirates have little help on the horizon where outfield or power is concerned
But with the demise of Ortiz and Contreras, the timeline of Brubaker and Burrows actually pitching for the Pirates anytime soon, and the ups and downs of Oviedo, I couldn’t blame them as it would appear Skenes has the quicker route here. Hoping that he, Priester and Solometo are ready soon, too
Unless Keller can go on two days rest next season, of course
Yeah, Skenes has a good bat too. 1.121 OPS over 400ish plate appearances in college makes ohtani’s japan OPS (..854OPS) look mediocre. Shohei had a MUCH larger sample size against what probably was mostly higher quality opponents so….
I’d probably stick with him pitching only but i’d let him mess around in BP and such see what happens.. but if it looks like its taking away from pitching.. then nip that in the bud.
Really though.. pirates couldn’t have gone wrong with either pick. both look great.
Just as previous high picks, the pitchers will be gone in a couple years. Yankees, Padres, Rays and others thank the Pirates and MLB for so many minor league teams masquerading as major league franchises. It was great listening to Seattle fans booing the joke of a commissioner. He’s pathetic.
Whatever you’re smoking take a break from it, he won’t be traded until at least 2031 when he’s eligible for free agency
Skeet skeet skeet m’fker
Future Yankee in about 7 years like Cole.
Anyone know whether Skeens was a college senior or a junior? I’m wondering if he has going back to LSU to use as leverage when negotiating with the Pirates.
Just noticed he is/was a Junior myself. Really though, not signing at slot value as #1 pick, he will be leaving a fair amount of money on the table if he isn’t the number 1/2 pick next year.
He will still ask for more than slot value and IMO probably get it.
He has zero leverage. Pirates have all the leverage. He isn’t going back to LSU.
Future Yankee
If the Bucs end up trading him, the return will have to blow them away with high level prospects
By then the Yankees might not have anyone that fills the Bucs needs
Had to laugh when Taillon shut your boys out the other day. Former Pirate. Former Yankee. Love that the Yankees are an afterthought in the AL East these days. Couldn’t happen to a nicer group of fans
How much more $ would he get from going back to LSU? He would get NIL next year. But then maybe get 10.5 if he goes 1-1 in 2024 draft? Which, assuming health he would. But always injury risk so……
I’m sure the Pirates had long conversations with all of the top players and in those convos the idea of “how bad do you want to be a pirate?” Was discussed. Crews didn’t want to be a pirate apparently. Other athletes (Eli manning, John elway, Eric Lindros) have felt like they were important enough that they were better than a city.
So IMO they made the best pick. Pirates have only 1 way to get true ace level raw talent and this is it.
Going back to LSU would cost him $.
Wrong on lindros he did not reject quebec city he rejected marcel aubut his wifes from quebec city ….marcell aubut the idiot that traded lindros twice
I thought about it and I like the pick. They can’t wait much longer in their rebuild, and Skenes looks like he could be ready next year.