2025 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
3.38
WHIP
0.94
K
7
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Expectations were sky high for Skenes when he was called up by the Pirates for his big-league debut in May, and yet he exceeded expectations as a rookie, even earning the start for the National League in the All-Star Game. The right-hander struck out more than five batters for every one he walked (5.31 K/BB) and finished with a 1.96 ERA over 133 innings spanning 23 starts, the second-lowest ERA for a rookie pitcher since the earned run became an official stat in both leagues in 1913. With a devastating four-seamer that averaged 98.8 mph in 2024, five secondary pitches highlighted by the sinker and breaking ball, plus exceptional command of his repertoire, Skenes is already an ace and arguably the SP1 overall in fantasy baseball heading into 2025. However, the velocity, while great for getting results on the field, could be seen as something as a red flag given many of the game's hardest throwers have gone down in recent years due to elbow trouble. Skenes, who will still be just 22 years old at the start of the upcoming season, has avoided the operating table so far in his young career. Read Past Outlooks
Fans seven in no decision
Skenes didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's Opening Day game against the Marlins. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven across 5.1 innings.
ANALYSIS
Skenes picked up where he left off from his 2024 NL Rookie of the Year campaign by striking out four of the first six batters he faced Thursday. He gave up single tallies in the third and sixth frames, the latter of which came on a passed ball after being replaced by Dennis Santana. Skenes was further let down by the bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings, costing him the win. A matchup with the Rays likely awaits next week for the right-hander.
Skenes picked up where he left off from his 2024 NL Rookie of the Year campaign by striking out four of the first six batters he faced Thursday. He gave up single tallies in the third and sixth frames, the latter of which came on a passed ball after being replaced by Dennis Santana. Skenes was further let down by the bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings, costing him the win. A matchup with the Rays likely awaits next week for the right-hander.
Pitching Stats
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2025
2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
94
Last 10 Games
94
Last 5 Games
94
How many pitches does Paul Skenes generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Paul Skenes generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-14%
BAA vs LHP
2025
-60%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023vs Left | .182 | 91 | 24 | 45 | 4 | |||
| Since 2023vs Right | .211 | 86 | 10 | 52 | 6 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .100 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .250 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .186 | 86 | 22 | 44 | 4 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .210 | 84 | 10 | 50 | 6 | |||
| 2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-41%
ERA on Road
2025
-100%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023Home | 2.51 | 1.07 | 71.2 | 10.4 | 2.3 | ||||
| Since 2023Away | 1.49 | 0.81 | 66.2 | 12.7 | 2.2 | ||||
| 2025Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2025Away | 3.38 | 0.94 | 5.1 | 11.8 | 3.4 | ||||
| 2024Home | 2.51 | 1.07 | 71.2 | 10.4 | 2.3 | ||||
| 2024Away | 1.32 | 0.80 | 61.1 | 12.8 | 2.1 | ||||
| 2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2023Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Paul Skenes compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
3.50K/9
11.8BB/9
3.4HR/9
0.0Fastball
98.1 mphERA
3.38WHIP
0.94BABIP
.272GB/FB
8.00Left On Base
60.0%Exit Velocity
0.0 mphBarrels/BBE
0.0%Spin Rate
0 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
0.0%Swinging Strike
14.9%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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2024 Fantasy Outlook
Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, is such a good pitching prospect that the most interesting thing to discuss with him is when he will make his big-league debut. He tallied 122.2 innings for LSU and 6.2 innings across stops at rookie ball, Single-A and Double-A last season (129.1 total innings), so there shouldn't be any notable workload restrictions in his age-22 season beyond the normal care teams show their most prized young arms. Additionally, if Skenes were to spend a full year in the majors and win rookie of the year, the Pirates would be rewarded with a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick at the end of the first round in 2025. The 6-foot-6 righty boasts two potential 80-grade pitches in his fastball (sits 99-100 mph, touches 103) and mid-80s slider. He has started throwing his upper-80s changeup more, and that looks like a potential third elite offering. The only things that could derail an ascent to ace status in a few years are injuries and/or unforeseen command issues. Skenes is generally seen as the best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg, and Strasburg made 11 starts in the upper-levels of the minors before making his big-league debut. That could be Skenes' path as well, but there are different incentives in place now, so he will be appointment viewing in spring training games for as long as he remains in big-league camp.
More Fantasy News
Confirmed as Opening Day starter
Manager Derek Shelton informed Skenes on Saturday that he will start Opening Day against the Marlins.
ANALYSIS
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Strikes out four in spring debut
Skenes allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out four across three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game.
ANALYSIS
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Throws live BP after rainout
Skenes threw a 45-pitch live batting practice session Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Adding to arsenal
Skenes has worked on a cutter and sinker this offseason, Noah Hiles of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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Brings home NL ROY
Skenes was named the 2024 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year on Monday.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
One year closer to free agency
Skenes' presumed top-two finish in National League Rookie of the Year voting will grant him a full year of service time, reports Danny Demilio of Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
ANALYSIS
It's a two-horse race in the NL between Skenes and Jackson Merrill, but both players will be credited with a full year of service time even though Skenes didn't debut until May 11. The 22-year-old right-hander will be eligible for free agency following the 2029 season instead of 2030, and it seems unlikely he'll be inking an extension with the Pirates anytime soon. Skenes finished his rookie campaign with a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 170:32 K:BB across 133 innings.
It's a two-horse race in the NL between Skenes and Jackson Merrill, but both players will be credited with a full year of service time even though Skenes didn't debut until May 11. The 22-year-old right-hander will be eligible for free agency following the 2029 season instead of 2030, and it seems unlikely he'll be inking an extension with the Pirates anytime soon. Skenes finished his rookie campaign with a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 170:32 K:BB across 133 innings.