Over the last decade or so, there hasn’t been a lot for fans
of the Pittsburgh Pirates to be thrilled about. While the team had some success
in the mid-2010s, making the playoffs three straight years, the Pirates
have had just one winning season since then. This is why the emergence of rookie
pitcher Paul Skenes has been so exciting.
While he has only started 20 games, Skenes is having a
phenomenal year. His record sits at 10-2 and he has racked up 151 strikeouts in 120
innings and his 2.10 ERA would be far and away the best in the league if he
qualified to be on the leaderboard. Skenes is also only the second pitcher in MLB history
to have multiple starts giving up no hits and striking out at least 11 batters in
a single season. The first pitcher who achieved the feat was Nolan Ryan.
It is because Skenes has been one of the few bright spots
for the Pirates this year that the organization should do the smart thing and shut him
down. The club currently sits in last place in their division and is 10 games
out of a wild-card spot entering play on Wednesday, meaning any postseason aspirations are pretty much over.
The Pirates should be particularly wary because — like Ryan — Skenes throws a lot of heat. His fastball averages in the upper 90s and he has topped 100 mph many times this summer. MLB history is riddled with players who started out like a house afire, only to turn into trainwrecks due to injuries. Look no further than the New York Mets to see how fast promising pitchers can fall once the dreaded Tommy John surgery is brought into the equation.
The Pirates have a young team and their future looks very promising. And, as the Royals have proven, it doesn’t have to
take years to build a contender, as the right moves can bring a team out of the
basement in rapid order. Skenes has given Bucs fans something to smile
about, but if he were to get hurt in a meaningless game at the end of a losing
season, nobody will be happy.
