MLB’s best pitcher Paul Skenes will make his debut against the Cubs on Saturday originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
O Chicago puppies will see a new face on Saturday in the middle of their road series with the Pirates.
Paulo Skenes, MLB’s best pitching prospect and No. 3 overall prospect, will make his major league debut against the Cubs on Saturday as part of their three-game series, the Pirates announced on Wednesday.
Skenes is the golden son of the Pirates. They selected him as the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft. With that, they handed him a signing bonus worth $9.2 million.
They were careful with him, not letting him skip any step in the development process. But he has run through every level of the minor leagues, reaching Double-A last season.
This season, the Pirates let him loose in Triple-A Indianapolis, where he continued to dominate. Through seven starts (27 1/3 innings) this season, Skenes holds a 0.99 ERA. He struck out 45 batters and walked just eight of them. Skenes also has an incredible WHIP of 0.915.
Skenes is known as a powerful pitcher. Close to 25% of his pitches this season have reached over 100 miles per hour. He throws his highest pitch – his fastball – 46.9% of the time at an average of 100.9 mph. His secondary pitches include slider, split finger, changeup and curveball.
He has been considered a generational pitcher since his college days at LSU, where he led his team to a national championship last summer. Scouts dared to call Skenes the best pitcher in MLB since Stephen Strasburg.
And the Cubs will be the first team to see it.
