Pirates Power Rankings: Skenes Debut Cuts Buccos Some Slack

Paul Skenes made his much-anticipated debut for the Pirates on Saturday, ending months of speculation as to when the club would finally call him up. While Pittsburgh struggled to a 2-4 record last week, seeing their bullpen collapse twice in a pair of close losses—to say nothing of the debacle that took place after Skenes’ first start—much of the national media cut them slack for their continued slump now that the first overall pick is finally pitching in the big leagues.

Here’s where the Pirates sit in this week’s power rankings.

• MLB.com bumped the Pirates up three spots to No. 22, slotting them in behind the Cincinnati Reds despite Pittsburgh’s currently occupying the No. 3 spot in the NL Central.
• CBS Sports kept Pittsburgh at No. 23 for the third week in a row, good for third in the NL Central.
• The Pirates held fast at No. 23 in Bleacher Report’s rankings, which called the club’s future bright despite the ongoing disappointment.
• USA Today, which harped on the Pirates for not bringing up Paul Skenes during the first few weeks of the season, dropped Pittsburgh down a spot to No. 23… this time finding fault with the inconsistencies that took place during his debut.
• FOX Sports, which only ranks the top ten clubs, did not deem the 18-23 Pirates fit for the upper echelons of Major League Baseball.