Does Paul Skenes burn 5000 calories per game? Delving into Pirates ace's dietary needs that power 100mph fastballs

Paul Skenes is an unhittable pitcher in the league and is time-tested against batters like Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger. In one of the articles, Jeff Passan of ESPN compared Skenes’ raw pitching power to burning 5,000 calories by a regular pitcher in a game.

“Typically, a pitcher throwing with the force of Skenes burns about 5,000 calories a game,” Passan wrote in his newsletter.

However, Skenes has a special routine, suggested by his college coach. He manages his diet and balances the powerful outings, which led him to his first All-Star invitation on Tuesday in his rookie year.

Paul Skenes pitched the first innings of the All-Star game in Arlington on Tuesday (Image Credit: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Wes Johnson, a former Minnesota Twins pitching coach, found struggling young Skenes and guided the future Pitsburg Pirates star. He also gave him a secret diet mantra, which he has followed since.

"He knew what he needed to do, but he didn't know how. He was hunting the how," Johnson said (via ESPN). "We got in there, and from his diet to learning a slider, we helped him figure that out."

Johnson suggested honey as a supplement to relegate Skenes’ high-power consumption.

"Paul would go through half a bear a game," Johnson said, per ESPN, referring to the popular bear-shaped honey bottles.

Except for this, Skenes also has a secret cheat meal which he shared with NCAA's Michella Chester.

“I tried it in preseason and I just didn't run out of energy, cause that was something that I was battling in the fall and the winter, and I just stuck with it," Skenes said (via NCAA.com). "I've had it every outing. A couple of weeks ago we had a rain delay and I had two chicken alfredos."

Paul Skenes is unstoppable

Following his NCAA Championship win for LSU, Paul Skenes was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the No. 1 pick in the first round in 2023. His impressive spring training and minor league outings hinted at a possible big-league debut, but nothing was confirmed until May.

The Pirates called their top-ranked prospect in the series against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Skenes didn’t disappoint and now is one of the most seasonal pitchers to watch in the league. To show how impressive Skenes has been this season, here’s a side-by-side compassion of both reigning Cy Young winners with the rookie.

Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates): 1.90 ERA, 14 ER, 89 Ks, 0.92 WHIP and 66.1 innings in 11 games (6-0 record).

Gerrit Cole (AL Cy Young winner, New York Yankees): 4.60 ERA, 15 ER, 34 Ks, 1.39 WHIP and 29.1 innings in 6 games (3-1 record).

Blake Snell (NL Cy Young winner, San Francisco Giants): 6.31 ERA, 25 ER, 42 Ks, 1.43 WHIP and 35.2 innings in 8 games (0-3 record).

After participating in his first Midsummer Classic, Skenes is eyeing a Rookie of the Year award. And with his numbers, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to win one.