Pirates Promote Paul Skenes to Double-A Altoona

Paul Skenes is certainly working his way up the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league ranks at a rapid pace.

After a single start in the Florida Complex League and two starts with the Single-A Bradenton Marauders, the Pirates are promoting the 2023 No. 1 overall pick to Double-A Altoona. Skenes is expected to start on Saturday for the Curve.

“I think as we’ve gone through the year, we knew that there was gonna be a progression to where he’s gonna go,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s taken another step in the progression. Having just watched the starts on video, he’s done a really nice job and has been very impressive.”

So far, the Pirates have been careful in handling Skenes’ workload. Through his first three starts, the right-hander has totaled 4.0 innings pitched.

While the sample has been small, Skenes has been as advertised in his brief work. Through those four innings, Skenes has allowed only one hit, hasn’t allowed a run, hasn’t walked a batter and has punched out five.

Skenes has lived in the upper-90s with his fastball and has hit triple-digits on multiple occasions. He’s shown his plus-slider and has mixed in his changeup.

According to MLB Pipeline, Skenes is the Pirates’ top overall prospect. He’s also considered the third-best prospect in all of baseball as well as the top pitching prospect.