Paul Skenes clocked at 100 mph on his first strikeout for Altoona Curve

LSU star pitcher Paul Skenes heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him with the No. 1 overall pick.

Skenes, a transfer from Air Force, made a name for himself in a huge way in 2023. He set the SEC record for most strikeouts in a season with 209, topping the mark set by Ben McDonald in 1989. He helped lead LSU to a national championship with some huge performances in the College World Series en route to Most Outstanding Player honors.

After his dominant season with the Tigers, Skenes won the National Pitcher of the Year award and D1Baseball Player of the Year.

But in addition to his talents on the mound, Skenes has proven he can get the job done at the plate, as well. At Air Force, he hit .367 with 24 home runs and 81 RBI in 341 at-bats over two years. He has said he also plans to hit when he gets to MLB.

More on Paul Skenes, LSU Tigers

Continuing, MLB.com evaluators believe the sky is the limit for Paul Skenes, as the LSU Tigers star is being heralded as the best college pitching since Stephen Strasburg.

“After working at 93-95 mph and touching 99 with his fastball as a sophomore, Skenes has averaged 98 mph and hit 102 at LSU, with the flat approach angle and carry on his heater making it almost impossible to hit,” the MLB.com scouting report on Skenes reads. “His slider has improved under the tutelage of Tigers pitching coach Wes Johnson, becoming an 85-89 mph beast with sharp break and absurd swing-and-miss and chase rates. His power changeup arrives at 88-93 mph with fade and is a solid offering when he lands it in the strike zone. 

“Physically imposing at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, Skenes is athletic with the body control to repeat a sound delivery and provide plenty of strikes. A classic No. 1 starter, he’d also factor into the top three rounds as a position player thanks to his huge right-handed power to all fields and projected solid defense at first base.”

On3’s Steve Samra and Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.