Bradenton, Fla. – This southern town here appears to have not made any progress since the 1950s, but it will be the future of the game. Pittsburgh's Paul Skens is a very modern pitcher, born in this century, and is blessed with equal speed and imagination.
The old Barrylado here had pinned the obscure and updated Pirates fans in the Monica House in the past, and equipped with long Pirate glory days with jerseys such as Roberto Clemente, Willy Stargel and others. This south burg looks like something we imagine from post-war America.
However, Skenes is about a day.
With a 100 mph fastball and four-pitch mix, including Skenes Invented Splinker, a Sinker/Splitter combo, he alternates between domination and deception. And there's bad news for opposing batsmen. Right-handers are working on adding fifth and sixth pitches. A cutter and regular sinker, he got two outs in four innings in a 4-2 twin victory on Monday.
