Paul Skenes is already trying to take the game to the next level.
One of the best rookie campaigns in recent baseball history, Pirates Ace is adding two new weapons this spring: a cutter and a two-seam fastball.
Before this spring, the Skenes already featured six pitches, including over 100 MPH fastballs, a “sprinker” and a sweeper.
Apparently, it wasn't enough for the fire-throwing phenom.
“Really, [I’m] We're just trying to create more swing decisions.” Skenes told MLB.com last month. “That's what I'll sum up.”
After three starts on Thursday, Skenes I spoke with Yahoo Sports About his new cutter.
“I hadn't had anything like that before, and it was, 'Well, I throw 100. Why don't I throw a 90 mph slider?” Skens said. “Why don't you throw a destructive ball about 90 years old? Because you can. My sweeper was around 85 last year, so that's part of that, but the sweeper is so big that if you don't have a swing in the cutter, you're going to swing with the sweeper.”
The Skens dominated in their first year in the Big League, scoring a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts and starting with 170 strikeouts in just 133 innings on their way to the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
In July, Skenes won the NL starting Nod in the All-Star Game, becoming the fourth rookie in MLB history and launched Midsummer Classic.
Skenes made his debut with the Pirates just a year after being drafted first-place from LSU during the 2023 MLB draft, living in the enormous hype that followed him throughout his college and minor league career.
