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Pirates’ Paul Skenes Projected To Join Historic Club

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated Mar 13, 2025 9:01 AM ET

Former first overall pick Paul Skenes joined the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11, 2024 with a tremendous amount of hype, making the big leagues in just under a year after making it up through Double-A in just two months.

He more than lived up to the hype, winning the NL Rookie of the Year with a 1.96 ERA that was the best by any rookie with over 20 big league starts since 1920.

With a six-pitch arsenal and a new cutter that he debuted at Spring Training, Skenes seems poised to build off of his 2024 stardom and soar to even greater heights in 2025.

A new prediction by MLB.com’s Brian Murphy has Skenes winning the National League Cy Young in 2025, joining Dwight Gooden and the late Fernando Valenzuela as the only pitchers to win Rookie of the Year and Cy Young in their first two MLB seasons; Valenzuela famously won both in his rookie year in 1981.

Murphy even went on to say Skenes could be a factor in the MVP race as well, which isn’t very far-fetched. Baseball Reference has Skenes’ 2024 wins above replacement for a full season at 8.8, which would’ve been second in the National League behind MVP Shohei Ohtani.

His chances at MVP should improve given that the NL Central seems wide open in 2025, with the division champion Brewers losing Willy Adames and Devin Williams while putting a lot of trust in their young core. If Skenes can turn in an exceptional year and propel the Pirates to even near-contention, he should earn MVP consideration.

Ultimately, with a new mix of pitches and preparation under his belt for a full season of play, the dedicated and talented Skenes looks ready to take the reins on the Pirates’ rotation for a second year and build on his success from 2024.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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