Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium on May 6. Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Pirates' Ace Paul Skenes Surprisingly Ranks Near Bottom of Unique Metric

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 8, 2025 11:45 AM ET

Entering play on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates are among the worst teams in baseball. At 12-26, they are the worst team in the National League Central.

However bad the Pirates are, ace pitcher Paul Skenes is still must-watch television every time he takes the mound. The defending National League Rookie of the Year, Skenes is out to a 3-4 start, but he still holds a strong 2.77 ERA. He's struck out 47 batters in 48.2 innings, which is good, but it actually places him near the bottom of the league in a noteworthy metric.

Per @JayHaykid of Underdog Fantasy:

Paul Skenes’ year-over-year drop in strikeout rate - 33.1% to 24.7% - is the 3rd-largest in MLB from 2024 to 2025 (min. 125 IP/40 IP in 2025).

Paul Skenes’ year-over-year drop in strikeout rate - 33.1% to 24.7% - is the 3rd-largest in MLB from 2024 to 2025 (min. 125 IP/40 IP in 2025).
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) May 8, 2025

Skenes struck out 170 batters last season in just 133.0 innings. So, the question is, what's happening? Has the league made adjustments to Skenes? Is he consciously trying to induce more contact, or is his stuff just not as good this year? That's something we'll have to watch for as we move forward in this season.

Skenes is likely still tracking for an All-Star berth this year, assuming he stays healthy.

The Pirates are off on Thursday but they'll be back in action on Friday night against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park.

First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. The Pirates have not announced a starter as of this posting, and neither have the Braves.

Atlanta is 17-19 and they'll play the Reds on Thursday night.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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