After winning NL Cy, Skenes adds another accolade with All-MLB nod
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PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes has been voted to the All-MLB First Team presented by MGM Rewards, another accolade in what has been a season that has cemented him as one of the game’s elite players.
The All-MLB honors, revealed on Thursday night in Las Vegas, recognize the game’s best at each position. It’s the second time Skenes made the First Team, becoming the first Pirate to do so since the awards were established in 2019.
Skenes entered the year with otherworldly expectations after his sensational rookie season, and he delivered. His 1.97 ERA was the best in the sport and the first time a qualifying starting pitcher finished with a sub-2.00 ERA since Justin Verlander in 2022. Skenes’ 217 ERA+ and 2.36 FIP were also the best in baseball, while his 0.95 WHIP was the best in the National League. He collected 216 strikeouts -- tied for second-most in the NL -- in 187 2/3 innings, and that strikeout total was a single-season record for right-handers in Pirates history.
Skenes also started his second straight All-Star Game this year, becoming the first pitcher to ever receive that honor in their first two seasons. On Wednesday, he collected his first NL Cy Young Award, winning a unanimous vote.
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That body of work -- plus his work in the community and being the team’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award -- has made Skenes the face of the franchise. One of his greatest developments this year has been away from the mound, though, becoming more of a vocal leader for a team that is trying to break out of their slump and rise to competition again. Whether it was learning to say something to the group or having fellow young pitchers travel to work out with him during the winter, he has put himself into the center of what the team is trying to accomplish.
“I don’t really come into the year with any expectations in terms of numbers and anything like that for myself,” Skenes said in late September after being awarded the Team MVP and Pitcher of the Year by the local BBWAA chapter. “I pitched pretty well this year, but I’ve grown a lot and I’ve learned a lot. That’s the thing I’m most excited about. I learned what I need to do and then also what we need to do.”
Time will tell if the Pirates are able to rise to that next level with Skenes, but they do know they have one of the game’s best players to help lead the effort.