Getty Images Paul Skenes
In an interesting twist, LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne and Pittsburgh Pirates fans are eagerly awaiting the same thing: the MLB debut of Dunne’s boyfriend and top Pirates prospect Paul Skenes.
“I already have my outfits picked out,” Dunne, who is also a TikTok sensation, told TMZ in an interview, saying she had “no clue” when Skenes would make his major-league debut.
The Pirates are exercising caution with the phenom, who has been dominant in Triple-A Indianapolis in what is expected to be his first full season as a professional.
“With Paul, we’ve been very intentional about how we’re building his volume coming into the season with a goal of really accomplishing two things,” said Pirates general manager Ben Cherington on April 14, according to MLB.com. “One is to try to get him to an appropriate total volume for 2024 coming off last year, when he pitched a full college season and then just a little bit of pro ball.”
Dunne has been in a relationship with Skenes since last summer, according to TMZ, and she called Skenes “a great guy, and we support each other through everything. He definitely makes me a better person.”
Paul Skenes: National Champion.
Olivia Dunne: National Champion.
Pure Dominance From Paul Skenes
In professional baseball, no player has asserted dominance quite like Skenes, the first overall pick of the 2023 MLB draft. In four starts through April 23, Skenes has been virtually untouchable, tallying 27 strikeouts while allowing a mere five hits across 12 2/3 innings. His ERA stands at a flawless 0.00. Facing 47 batters, Skenes has boasted an eye-popping strikeout rate of 57.4%, leaving no doubt about his ability to overpower minor-league hitters.
Paul Skenes, 8Ks in 3.1 innings.
Scouts, coaches and fans are excited about Skenes’s meteoric rise. In an age where fastball velocity is at an all-time high, Skenes, who turns 22 on May 29, has taken it to another level for a starting pitcher.
Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo tweeted that Skenes’ 100.2 mph average eclipses of established major-leaguers Hunter Greene (98.1) and Jordan Hicks and Jared Jones (97.1).
Paul Skenes is currently averaging 100.2 mph on his FB in his abbreviated starts.
With LSU in 2023 while pitching deep into games once per week he averaged 98.6 mph.
Both would be highs for average starter FBs in the majors:
Hunter Greene: 98.1
Jared Jones/Jordan Hicks: 97.1
The Pirates Have a Plan in Place
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said he understood that Skenes’ big-league debut is one of the most anticipated in quite some time, but he explained the importance of having a plan.
#Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Paul Skenes still has improvement to make at AAA
“There is a plan in place. I know sometimes people want to expedite that plan, and I understand that that’s human nature,” Shelton said in a press conference with MLB media. “But, we just feel there are steps he needs to take before we ultimately make that decision.”
Shelton also discussed getting Skene’s pitch count up before his MLB debut. “I think the efficiency of his pitches is something we’re gonna continue to talk about,” Shelton said. “But we just have to get his volume built up.”
Skenes has pitched into the 4th inning in only two of his four starts, and his max pitch count so far this season has been 65 pitches, which came in his last outing on April 18.
An underlying motive remains unspoken: the coveted gain of an additional year of contractual control over the budding phenom. By orchestrating his debut after a designated date, the Pirates position themselves strategically in terms of long-term roster management.
Barring unforeseen setbacks, Pirates fans and Dunne won’t have to wait long to see Skenes on an MLB mound. The stage appears set for Skenes to debut sometime in early May. The anticipation surrounding his arrival has been palpable since his dominance in the SEC days at LSU, where he left a trail of destruction with his blazing fastball and formidable secondary arsenal.