When Paul Skenes made it to the big leagues last May, he looked exactly like the ace the Pittsburgh Pirates wanted when they drafted him first-overall in the 2023 MLB amateur draft. In his 2025 spring training debut, he started preparing for his first full MLB campaign by learning a couple of new pitches. Skenes threw three innings in his first appearance of the spring, striking out four Orioles while allowing four hits, one walk and a run.

“You’ve just got to learn to mix it in,” Skenes told the media about his new weapons after the game. “I learned some stuff about it. I think it’s going to be good.”

Which brings us to today’s quiz. After zooming through the minor leagues, he started 23 games for the Bucs in 2024 with a microscopic 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts and an All-Star game start. With that being said, how many of the rookie starting pitchers to strike out 170 or more batters since 1995 can you name in five minutes?

Good luck!

Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!