"If the idea is to get eyeballs on this game... is a pretty darn good place to do it"- Jeff Passan 'urges' NL All-Star's skipper to start Paul Skenes

ESPN baseball analyst Jeff Passan wants Paul Skenes to be the National League's starting pitcher at the All-Star Game. Passan believes that if the idea is to take baseball to the masses, then Skenes needs to be at the forefront.

Skenes was the No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft. Since being called up this season, he has become among the top rookies in just two months. A lot of fans have pondered whether he should play for the National League in this season's MLB All-Star Game. So, Passan gave his two cents on the matter.

"I urge Rob Thomson, the manager of the National League team, or Torrey Lovullo, the manager of the National League team, rather. I urge him to go and pick Paul Skenes to start,” Passan said on the All-Star Reveal Show.

Passan believes that the excitement of seeing Skenes taking on some of the best sluggers in the league can help attract a larger audience to the All-Star Game.

“Because if the idea is to get eyeballs on this game, if the idea is to have baseball fans see and feel a moment that excites them, Paul Skenes vs. Gunnar Henderson, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto is a pretty darn good place to do it," Passan added.

Paul Skenes made his debut in the major league on June 11 against the Chicago Cubs. Even though his first game wasn't smooth sailing, he's still managed to adjust quickly to the majors and amass a 5-0 record with a 2.12 ERA.

He has a total of 78 strikeouts and 12 walks in 10 starts. After last night's victory, he also became the only pitcher in MLB history to strike out 70+ pitchers while allowing less than 14 runs.

Paul Skenes continued to be dominant against the Mets

In Friday's game against the New York Mets, Paul Skenes made every pitch feel like a turning point. In the bottom of the seventh, with the count at 0-2, Skenes delivered a searing 107th pitch to Harrison Bader. The stadium erupted as it delivered a strikeout that sealed Skenes' dominance.

Skenes went seven innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts which got him the fifth Major League win of his career. Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton feels that the rookie brings a different energy when he steps onto the mound.

“There's a different atmosphere in the ballpark when he pitches,” said Derek Shelton per MLB.com. “... I do think there's a different buzz in our ballpark, and I think our players enjoy that."

During his collegiate career, Skenes was branded as a “one in a decade” pitcher by Dewey Robinson, the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league coach. Skenes is living up to those remarks.