Paul Skenes has become a full-blown phenomenon.
The former LSU Tiger took Major League Baseball by storm as a rookie this past season, as he became an instantly recognizable star, or more specifically, an All-Star. He rewrote the Pittsburgh Pirates and MLB record books and piled up milestones and awards as easily as he struck out sluggers, which he did 170 times.
What was so phenomenal about Skenes this season?
He finished with a stellar 11-3 record in 23 starts, posted a 1.96 ERA in 133 innings pitched, and set the Pirates record for strikeouts in a season by a rookie. Skenes also became the second former Tiger to win Rookie of the Year (the other being the Boston Braves’ Alvin Dark in 1948), was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award, and became the fifth rookie in MLB history to start the All-Star Game.
Skenes became the face of a franchise desperate for star power and made Pirate fans proud to don their “Bucs” gear.
Yet, Skenes’ phenomenal season is highlighted even more by how he is taking over two other arenas — card collecting and social media.
Topps released its 2024 Chrome Update Series last month and the news caused quite the buzz. The reason is that the series included a one-of-one Paul Skenes autographed rookie card that includes a patch from the jersey he wore in his MLB debut.
Things reached a fever pitch as the Pirates made it even a bigger deal with their Willy Wonka “golden ticket” offer.
The haul includes season tickets behind home plate at PNC Park for 30 years, a private tour of the ballpark, taking batting practice with the team, a softball game for you and your friends on the field, a meet and greet with Skenes, and two autographed jerseys.
Skenes’ girlfriend Livvy Dunne then got in on the action.
The LSU national champion gymnast, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, and social media influencer said whoever pulls the card and swaps it with the Pirates can take in a game alongside her in a luxury suite. This, of course, got a whole other section of the population fascinated by the former Tiger — albeit for the wrong reasons.
Skenes’ social media presence took a meteoric rise when he was named National League Rookie of the Year. Dunne smiled and enthusiastically cheered the announcement, while Skenes with his trademark stoic nature didn’t react at all. The moment soon became a trending meme.
Skenes had a phenomenal rookie season — one for the ages — and is a budding superstar. But can he do what so many of his flamethrowing predecessors failed to do? Go from rookie phenom to perennial All-Star and Cy Young candidate?
There is a history of modern-era pitchers who can throw 100-plus with ease but fail to have lengthy dominant careers.
Stephen Strasburg — who Skenes is often compared to — was also a top draft pick and young phenom. In his 2010 debut, he fanned 14 hitters and did so without walking a single batter, but his rookie season ended with him needing the dreaded Tommy John surgery.
Strasburg never fully recovered and became a good, but not dominant pitcher as he was selected an All-Star three times in 13 years. He enjoyed a career year in 2019 when he won 18 games and helped the Washington Nationals win the World Series, but injuries always hampered him and his career ended with 113 wins.
There was Dontrelle Willis.
The hard-throwing lefty — with the distinctive leg kick — went 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 27 starts in 2003, won NL Rookie of the Year, and helped the Florida Marlins win the World Series.
After a sophomore slump, D-Train bounced back with a career-high 22 wins in 2005 but the career would derail after that. Willis would play for three different teams in four years before ending his career after nine seasons and less than 80 wins.
Before D-Train, there was Kerry Wood.
In 1998, Wood won NL Rookie of the Year, won 13 games, and struck out 233 batters, including an iconic 20 against the Houston Astros. The Cubs star needed Tommy John after the season and missed all of 1999.
Wood would carve out a nice 14-year career, including being a two-time All-Star, but he was never the phenom as continued injuries plagued his career.
If we go a little further back though, there are two examples of hard throwers that were good or great for extended periods.
The late Fernando Valenzuela was a cultural phenomenon — far more than Skenes — and in 1981 he was an All-Star, won both Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young, and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series.
Valenzuela began his career with six-straight All-Star Games, won a career-high 21 games in 1986, and finished as runner-up for Cy Young. He would never win more than 15 games in a season and never was an All-Star game, but did pitch a no-hitter in 1990 and lasted 17 relatively healthy seasons in the big leagues.
There is also Valenzuela’s contemporary, Dwight Gooden.
Gooden won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1984 and the Cy Young in 1985 while leading the MLB in strikeouts in both seasons. He started his career with four-straight All-Star honors and helped the New York Mets win the World Series in 1986.
Drug use and self-destructive behavior derailed his career — even though he did have a comeback with the Yankees that netted him another World Series — but Gooden’s declining abilities also could be attributed to his massive workload as a young pitcher. Gooden pitched an average of 234.3 innings in his first five seasons, including 276 in 1985.
It doesn’t seem that Pittsburgh will run Skenes into the ground, and unlike many of the others, the Pirates phenom is a little older and doesn’t have as much wear and tear on his arm and elbow.
He will be 23 in May and has only been a full-time pitcher for two years. At Air Force, Skenes was a hitter and pitcher and only became a pitcher only once he transferred to LSU.
There is no doubt that Skenes was a sensation in 2024 but the question remains. Can the phenomenon last more than a year or two, and win the coveted Cy Young Award — a feat no former Tiger has ever done?
Former Tiger Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays finished third in the 2023 AL Cy Young voting, while Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies finished third in the 2018 NL Cy Young voting.
If so, Skenes will go from having one of the best rookie seasons ever to having one of the greatest careers ever.
Raymond Partsch III is the co-host of “RP3 & Meche” which is broadcast weekdays (11-1) on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station.
