BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes made his first Grapefruit League appearance of the year on Saturday, giving fans and opposing hitters a glimpse of his expanded pitching arsenal. The 22-year-old phenom, who has been working on adding a cutter and a running two-seam fastball to complement his blazing four-seam fastball, struck out four batters over three innings in the Pirates’ 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed four hits, one walk, and one run in the outing.
“You’ve just got to mix it in,” Skenes told SportsNet Pittsburgh and other media after the game. “I learned some stuff about it. It’s going to be good, I think.”
Skenes is building on a stellar 2024 season, where he was named NL Rookie of the Year after posting an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. The Pirates selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft following his standout performance at LSU, where he helped lead the Tigers to a College World Series championship.
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