Skenes gets highly-anticipated call-up despite 'missed calls' from Indy skipper

It's been a busy few days for Skenes, who arrived in Pittsburgh during the Pirates' off-day on Thursday and had a chance to get acclimated with his new city ahead of this weekend's series at PNC Park. 

"Had a little bit of a reprieve," Skenes said. "Got to come in here and work out yesterday. Other than that, settling in and that kind of thing. Love Pittsburgh. It's awesome."

Now that he's here, Skenes is ready to take what he learned during his experience at Indianapolis -- both on and off the field -- and see that translate to the big-league level. 

"Just want to put us in a position to win," Skenes said. "I don't know about specifics yet. Kind of just started looking into them. Yeah, just want to execute and put us in a position to win."

Skenes made seven starts with the Indians, posting a 0.99 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, while holding opposing hitters to a .175 batting average. He collected 45 strikeouts and walked eight batters in 27 1/3 innings. In his final outing against Buffalo on Sunday, Skenes pitched on four days' rest for the first time in his professional career and allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. 

"The club we have down there is really good. Got a lot of veterans. Just being able to pick their brains has been a great experience," Skenes said. "In terms of off the field and how I manage it all, that's been really good. And then on the field, obviously getting professional hitters out is difficult, and figuring out different ways to do that week-to-week has been a fun learning process."

After throwing just 6 2/3 innings at the professional level following his No. 1 overall selection in last year's draft, Skenes continuously checked off boxes in proving he was capable of pitching at the big-league level. Whether it was pitching deeper into games and seeing his pitch count rise, or throwing on less days' rest for the first time in his career, he still managed to shine. 

"Just taking a day at a time and going into each outing with a plan,' Skenes said, describing what the last few months in the minors have been like. "I didn't really ask them what the limits were. Obviously there were limits on each outing, but going in with the mindset of, 'I'm going to get outs as quickly as possible' and then having a little bit of a different plan in terms of each of those outings in terms of how I was going to do that."

Skenes' time in Indianapolis also allowed him to work to further develop his five-pitch arsenal that includes a fastball that typically touches triple digits and a slider he utilizes to keep hitters off balance. But his changeup, curveball and splitter -- a half-splitter, half-sinker also recognized as a "splinker" -- are valuable weapons as well. 

"I think the biggest thing is setting up the fastball and the slider," Skenes said. "Setting up pitches to get hitters out quickly. That's been the biggest things in terms of learning over the past couple months, learning to use my pitches and set up out-pitches late in the count. Learning to read hitters and all that. But I'm super happy with it.

"The biggest thing is, I just want to see how it plays. I don't think it's going to be too different. Usages might change, that kinda thing. But it's gonna be fun to be with some veterans who have been around the game, and learn from them." 

One of those veterans Skenes will join in the Pirates' starting rotation is Martin Perez, who has added an experienced presence within a group that includes Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter and Quinn Priester. 

Perez said he had a few conversations with Skenes during spring training and is now eager to see him throw as a major leaguer. 

"It's fun and I'm happy for him," Perez said Friday. "He's been doing everything down in Triple-A and has been working hard with his location and pitches. He showed everybody what he can do for us here, too. I think it's time for him to be a part of this team and go out there and do his thing." 

Skenes' presence will only benefit a rotation that enters Friday night with the ninth-best ERA (3.64) in baseball. The group is sixth in innings pitched (212.2), 10th in WHIP (1.18) and has limited opposing hitters to a .239 batting average against.

"It's been really fun to watch," Skenes said of the big-league rotation. "I've obviously been watching kinda as a fan for the past month or so. But yeah, I'm excited.

"I think being around the team in spring training and watching the club over the past month or so, we're close. I think there is a lot to look forward to." 

Derek Shelton is excited, too. He said the decision to call Skenes up was made after Wednesday's series finale against the Angels. 

"We had been talking about different iterations of what we were going to do and try and map it, out but Wednesday after the game we made the decision with some finality he was going to pitch on Saturday," Shelton said. "I'm excited he's here. He deserves it. He's proven that he needed to be in the big leagues." 

As a No. 1 pick and the top-ranked pitching prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, there is a lot of hype surrounding Skenes and what he's capable of bringing to the organization. He does his best to block out the noise and focus on what he can control.

But when he takes the mound for that first start on Saturday, he hopes to be able to soak in the once-in-a-lifetime moment that comes with a major-league debut. 

"I try to reflect as much as I can, think on past experiences and that kinda thing," Skenes said. "I remember being in Omaha last year, in the College World Series, I pitched in the first game and someone asked me what it was like and I said, 'I don't really know. I was just pitching,' even though it was in front of the most fans I've ever pitched in front of. Knowing myself, that's how I handle it. But I definitely want to take a minute and realize how cool it is."