PITTSBURGH -- When expressing the reason behind their optimism for the year ahead, the Bucs at PiratesFest consistently pointed back to the rotation. If pitching wins games, they’ve got a starting rotation that can rival anyone. Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter and Jared Jones (now with a year of experience under his belt) are all returning. Johan Oviedo is back from Tommy John surgery. There’s even more young talent from the farm system on the way, headed by Bubba Chandler (Pirates' top prospect, No. 15 overall).
And, of course, there’s the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, Paul Skenes, who joined the chorus of Bucs who see this rotation leading the Pirates to bigger and better things this season.
“We have the talent and stuff to do it,” Skenes said. “We just have to pass the line. I think that was something that we did really well at times last year. When we showed up, when it was my day to pitch, Bailey would go seven. I was like, ‘All right, it’s my turn to go seven.’ Kind of passing the line like that, it makes it fun as a rotation to do that, to put the team in a position to win on five consecutive days. I think that’s going to be the mindset this year.”
A rotation full of studs who can take the ball and shove is a great equalizer. It’s not the only part of the game, but if you get a quality start, you’re going to at least be in the contest.
Finding a way to win more of those close games was also a recurring theme over the weekend. The Pirates lost 26 one-run games last year, the third most in the NL Central (the Cubs and Reds had 28 apiece). They had a losing record in extra innings, too (7-8). Learning from those experiences can go a long way.
So can ensuring the clubhouse is all-in on the direction.
"We have buy-in,” Skenes said. “In the short time I've been here, we've had buy-in. There are a lot of guys, and guys that frankly I wouldn't have expected it from are talking about changing some things in the clubhouse and that kind of thing. Because we had a good clubhouse last year, but it wasn't anything crazy.
“The nature of pro locker rooms compared to college locker rooms is just going to be different, so I learned a lot about how a pro locker room is last year. But I've also learned -- [from] the experience of last year and talking to guys this offseason who have won World Series and played for 15 years in The Show, that kind of thing -- about how a locker room should be, too, so we're going to work on getting it there, and we've started already."
What exactly does an ideal clubhouse look like? Well, it’s more of a "know it when you see it" answer. Players will be loose, but also be able to speak up when they feel it’s necessary. Skenes has the competitive drive, but he is hardly boisterous by nature.
As Skenes enters his second season, though, it might be time for him to speak up more. The right to do so does come with experience, but being a face of this franchise -- and almost surely one of the catalysts if they do take that step -- should give him agency.
"I don't know what the character of that will be, but I'll have probably a little more say -- and obviously having established myself a little bit -- but there's still a long way to go,” Skenes said. “I'm not going to overstep, but winning is winning. We've got to do what we've got to do to make it happen.
“I’m just going to listen to my gut.”
A more vocal Skenes could make the Pirates a contender. That’s what everyone at PiratesFest is hoping for, whether they are fans or on the roster. And for a young team, a large part of that improvement is going to have to come from the continued growth and development of players like Skenes and these pitchers.
“I think we have a responsibility to do that to the city and within the organization,” Skenes said. “There are a lot of people who put a lot of work into it. We’ve got really good people within this organization, within player development, within the front office, stuff like that. I think we owe it to them. … If you go out and sign the [Shohei] Ohtanis, maybe it becomes a little bit easier -- he’s Ohtani for a reason -- but there’s no reason we can’t play fundamental baseball and execute at a very high level without having players like that. It’s not a complicated game.”