Analyst Says 1 Young Pitcher Is The 'Next Great One' (original) (raw)

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a rough stretch of baseball over the past few years as they missed the playoffs for the ninth year in a row in 2024.

After finishing with a record of 76 wins and 86 losses, the Pirates had their sixth losing season in a row.

Although the team overall has been disappointing, there was a bright spot in the Pirates lineup.

According to MLB Network on ‘X,’ Paul Skenes is a finalist for both the National League Rookie of the Year and the National League Cy Young Award.

MLB Analyst Ron Darling said this about Skenes, “This is the next great one.”

"This is the next great one."

Paul Skenes is a finalist for both NL Rookie of the Year and NL Cy Young! 🤯@Pirates | @officialBBWAA pic.twitter.com/3FzwJCYRvR

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 12, 2024

Skenes pitched in his first season with the Pirates in 2024 and started 23 games for the club.

Through those 23 games started, Skenes had a record of 11 wins and three losses with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133.0 innings pitched.

Skenes is a finalist for both the NL ROY Award and the NL Cy Young Award, which illustrates how dominant he was during his rookie campaign.

Darling believes Skenes is the next great pitcher in the MLB and points out that his fastball velocity averages above 98 miles per hour.

The Pirates have not had many things to be excited about in recent history, but Skenes could change all of that if he can stay healthy.

Since winning the World Series in 1979, the Pirates have only made the playoffs six times, and they haven’t won a division title since 1992.

All eyes will be on Skenes next season to see if he can replicate the dominant season that he put together in 2024.

NEXT: Paul Skenes Reveals Which NFL Team He Roots For

James Merling

MLB enthusiast, covering all 30 MLB teams top to bottom.