The Pittsburgh Pirates’ statement about Paul Skenes left everyone with the same reaction.
Skenes received the first distinction of his career on Saturday when the Pirates announced that he will start on Opening Day. They revealed the information by posting a video of Derek Shelton, the manager of the Pirates, telling Skenes the news. Even though Shelton handled it in a subtle way, Skenes still took it well. Shelton did, however, congratulate Skenes by shaking his hand and giving him a hug.
Of course, everyone knew this was coming. Skenes is a Cy Young Award favorite and expected to be possibly the best pitcher in MLB this season. Of course he was going to be the Pirates’ Opening Day starter.
Yes, Paul Skenes being named the Opening Day starter was the least surprising news ever.
The 22-year-old was named NL Rookie of the Year last season. He went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. Despite only making 23 starts, he still finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting. He has the potential to put up some crazy numbers over the course of a full season. And he’d probably get Opening Day starter honors if he were on any team in MLB.
