Pirates' Paul Skenes Nominated for ESPY

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has had an incredible start to his career and received numerous awards/honors for it.

ESPN revealed their nominees for the 2025 ESPYs, the award show the network hosts, featuring the best athletes and sports moments of the year. They placed Skenes in their Best Breakthrough Athlete category, along with Cooper Flagg of Duke men's basketball, Chloe Humphrey of North Carolina women's lacrosse and Ilona Maher of Team USA rugby.

The ESPYs take place on July 16 and fans can vote on the numerous different categories, including for Skenes, before the award ceremony.

Skenes starred at LSU in 2023, after transferring from Air Force. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched, gave up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while making 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks, leading the program to a National Title that season.

He would enter the 2023 MLB Draft, where the Pirates took him with the No. 1 overall pick. He also signed with the franchise on a $9.2 million signing bonus, the highest ever given to a player.

Skenes dominated in the minor leagues and soon made it up to the majors on May 11 of the 2024 season.

He started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133.0 innings pitched, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while making 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.

Skenes was also the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers doing so in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.

He made the All-MLB First Team for his performance in 2024, won NL Rookie of the Year and was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award.

Skenes has kept up that great play this season, despite a 4-7 record, with the Pirates scoring four runs or less in 13 of his 17 starts, with three of them shutouts.

He has a 2.12 ERA over 106.0 innings pitched, 110 strikeouts to 29 walks, .177 opposing batting average and a 0.91 WHIP.

Skenes ranks amongst the best pitchers in baseball, including second in opposing batting average, fourth in innings pitched, fifth in ERA and WHIP and ninth in strikeouts.

At just 23 years old, Skenes is one of the best players in the MLB and is on track for a Hall of Fame career if he continues with this degree of consistency.