The no-fun police are out for Paul Skenes.
Some folks inside baseball are against the Pirates’ rookie phenom — and Livvy Dunne’s boyfriend — potentially starting for the National League in the All-Star Game on July 16.
“I truly do believe people would tune in to watch Paul Skenes pitch, preferably at the beginning of the game,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan said Sunday after Skenes earned his All-Star berth despite debuting May 11. “There were a lot of people in the industry who responded to that idea of Paul Skenes starting over say Ranger Suarez or Chris Sale with, ‘Come on, you got to earn it.’
“What I think is, Paul Skenes has earned the eyeballs of people who want to watch baseball and that is what the All-Star Game is about, it’s celebrating the game and how great it can be and Paul Skenes, guys, is great.”
Baseball continually runs into the issue of old-school views clashing with new-school mentality and it’s of no surprise that there would be some pushback against the former LSU’s star ascension.
On the one hand, the belief that the Phillies’ Suarez or the Braves’ Sale should start is understandable. They have thrown more innings and have veteran status. The start would likely mean more to them since Skenes seemingly is on a path to becoming a mainstay on the All-Star rosters.
But, as Passan noted, Skenes is the buzz of baseball.
With no disrespect to Suarez or Sale, folks are not going to be making sure they watch either of those lefties face the American League’s best.
Skenes, on the other hand, draws eyeballs with his eye-opening repertoire.
His stuff is pure filth, maxing at 102.6 mph with his fastball and 97.2 mph with his sinker, according to BrooksBaseball.net.
In his latest start, a 14-2 triumph over the Mets, he dominated a lineup that has been bludgeoning most starters lately, striking out eight in seven innings while allowing just two runs.
For the season, Skenes is now 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 10 starts for an otherwise mediocre Pirates team. He’s struck out 78 batters in 59 1/3 innings.
Skenes’ ERA would rank second in the NL if he qualified.
The decision on who will start the All-Star Game will ultimately be made by the Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo and his staff, and it’s certainly plausible that Skenes could pitch early in the game while allowing one of the veterans to start.
