Yahoo’s senior MLB analysts Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz discuss the highly anticipated debut of 2023 overall pick Paul Skenes in Pittsburgh. Listen to the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast — and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video transcript
Pittsburgh is waiting again.
It’s so funny because we’re so impatient with these things and it’s understandable that you might, oh, he was ready.
He was ready.
This is the fastest first round by a first overall pick to reach the big leagues and I think 30 years and it feels like it took a long time.
So here he is, he will make his debut on Saturday at 4pm Eastern against the Chicago Cubs and Justin Steele.
What a delicious matchup, I was grateful they were calling it now, why did they wait another AAA match or two?
He wouldn’t have made his home debut, which I think is a vital component of the excitement.
I don’t think they would have ever done that.
I think they just waited, they would have waited, they would have waited 100%, which would have been silly because it would have been two more games in AAA.
I believe for him to start at home.
Very grateful that this is the case.
I’ll be in the building.
One of the biggest sources of FOMO for me is post-time FOMO.
It’s just that you were at Stephen Strasburg’s premiere in Washington DC as a fan.
It is, I believe, in the 10th year.
You were at that game.
There are many people in our lives who simply don’t know who Paul Skeets is.
And so it is, they, these people, because we are from DC, know who Stephen Strasburg is.
And then it’s like, hey, remember when Strasbourg came along and what a big deal that was, it’s the biggest deal since.
The fact that he is playing 100 in itself is not strange.
He’s not throwing 100 and sixes, but he’s sitting at 100 miles per hour in full outs.
That’s not really it.
So we saw some, right?
Hunter Greene has it for the Gram.
We saw, it’s been a very small group, that’s important because even these guys, their fastball is averaging 98.9 99.3.
No no no.
Paul is averaging 100 miles per hour.
This is significant.
But what really makes him special is that he authored one of the best college seasons of all time with that fastball and ridiculous slider.
And since then, he’s basically added and expanded three other pitchers.
In addition to those, it’s someone who realized when he arrived at LSU.
And even after he started going to the Air Force Academy, I still have a huge gift.
He was very talented as a catcher and as a hitter, I have a gift on the mound.
I’ll give it my all.
And he’s physically like everything you’d want to see in a, in a, in a big league, too.
And that’s what also helps the driving, what makes it special.
When you see Paul Skeates, when you watch him move, you understand that you’re seeing something unique because older kids don’t move like that very often.
Right?
He is, as our friend Brent Honeywell said, an absolute moose, but he has the rigidity, dexterity and looseness of a salamander.
And this combination is very, very special.
