MLB spring training is upon us, and we’ll be able to get our first extended look at Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Paul Skenes, the top pick in the 2023 draft and currently the No. 3 prospect in baseball.
Skenes is getting the opportunity to pitch with the big-league club after he was given a non-roster invite to spring training. It didn’t take him long to show off his ferocious fastball, which routinely hit triple digits even late into starts during his elite 2023 season at LSU.
Just how powerful is Skenes’ fastball? It managed to punch clean through the glove of his throwing partner.
Don’t believe me? See for yourself
Paul Skenes broke his throwing partner’s glove. 😂
(📹: @YoungBucsPIT) pic.twitter.com/KEVXWWQSQv
— MLB (@MLB) February 16, 2024
Skenes, who won the Dick Howser Trophy as the national college player of the year last spring, has only seen limited professional action to this point in his career.
He pitched one inning in the rookie leagues and three at the Single-A level before he earned a call-up to Double-A. He appeared in two games, pitching 2.2 innings before the Pirates organization shut him down for the season.
Skenes could find himself pitching in the majors by the end of the 2024 season, and he’s looking to make a strong impression on the Pirates in spring training.
It seems he may have already done that.
