WASHINGTON — Pirates manager Don Kelly was thrilled to tell Paul Skenes he was an All-Star for the third time in three seasons. It’s a tremendous accomplishment, even if Skenes downplayed some by referencing Chris Sale making the Midsummer Classic 10 times.
“He’s certainly earned it,” Kelly said of Skenes. “He’s one of the best in baseball.”
But other Pirates are also deserving, Kelly argued.
The Pirates began Saturday with MLB’s third-best offense when looking at runs scored (457), the second-best when it comes to OPS (.761). Pittsburgh was last in both categories a year ago, but the success experienced this season was not reflected in who’ll head to Philadelphia for the annual event.
“From a team standpoint, it’s a little frustrating because I feel like we've got a lot of guys who deserve to go,” Kelly said. “It's not closed yet. There will be replacements and other things. We’ll certainly be pushing and pulling for other guys who are deserving to be on the team as well.”
As much as Saturday served as a reminder that Skenes remains among the game’s elite — along with one the biggest draws for something like the All-Star Game — this process also isn’t final for the Pirates.
Skenes will start next Sunday in the last game before the break, and that would force a replacement on the National League roster.
The good news is that the Pirates have plenty of deserving candidates, including a pair of position players who would represent that revamped offense.
Bryan Reynolds ranks 13th among National League hitters in OPS (.865) and is on pace to have a better season than he did in 2024, when the Pirates outfielder made the second of his two All-Star appearances.
After Saturday, Reynolds was hitting .284 with 12 home runs, 21 doubles, 55 RBIs and 61 runs scored, giving him a shot at establishing career-highs across the board.
Meanwhile, Brandon Lowe leads all MLB second basemen in home runs (20), RBIs (60) and slugging percentage (.494). He’s tied with Milwaukee’s Brice Turang in OPS at .812.
“We have the third-most runs in baseball,” Skenes said. “Our offense is a buzzsaw. No one wants to face us. I think it’s pretty easy to make the case for Bryan and Brandon, and I think there are others too.”
Konnor Griffin and Esmerlyn Valdez will be future All-Stars, Skenes said. Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz would’ve had strong cases had they remained healthy.
But having the second- or third-best offense in MLB represented by nobody at Citizens Bank Park did leave a few Pirates frustrated after their 7-1 victory over the Nationals on the Fourth of July at Nationals Park.
“When you're talking about one of the top offenses in baseball, to not have an offensive representative, that's tough,” Kelly said. “Our guys have been really consistent. They’ve done a great job this year, and we have a lot of guys that are worthy of selection.”
It’s not from the offense, but there’s another selection who would make just as much sense in Braxton Ashcraft, a pitcher-for-pitcher swap with Skenes unavailable.
As Skenes discussed his All-Star selection — explaining how much the honor means to him and how he enjoys being around so many great players — he had no problem stumping for Ashcraft to take his spot.
“I’m throwing on Sunday, so I’d hope that would open up a spot. Hopefully Braxton takes it,” Skenes said. “I think that’s what should happen.
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game, and I don’t really think you can argue that,” Skenes said. “All the numbers say that, too. Obviously he’s having a good year. Recognition and going to the All-Star Game is not the end-all, be-all by any means. But he deserves it, and he’s not the only one.”
After delivering 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and striking out seven against the Nationals, Ashcraft maintained his a prominent place across MLB leaderboards:
• Only 10 pitchers in the National League have a lower ERA than Ashcraft (3.24), while just six have more quality starts (10).
• Ashcraft now has 122 strikeouts on the season, trailing only Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez.
• Prior to Saturday, Ashcraft had been worth 2.8 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs. In the National League, only Misiorowski, Sanchez and Burns have been worth more fWAR than Ashcraft, who’s tied with Sale.
Reynolds might have a tougher time due to how many quality outfield bats are available. Lowe faces a similar gauntlet with the likes of Turang, Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies, Mars native JJ Wetherholt (St. Louis) or San Francisco’s Luis Arraez, though Lowe and Reynolds certainly have valid cases for inclusion.
Either way, the Pirates believe they have other worthy candidates and will wait to see if any can earn a trip across the state as a replacement.
“I was shocked that I was the only one,” Skenes said. “Yeah, not too happy about that.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.