Pirates ace Paul Skenes reveals dream of pitching against $100,000,000-worth Barry Bonds & other 2 MLB icons

Paul Skenes has a few MLB legends he'd love to be able to pitch against. One of the most effective pitchers heading into 2025, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year wants to test his mettle against some of the best hitters in baseball history.

On the "Foul Territory" podcast on Tuesday, Skenes was asked who he'd like to face. He responded (11:23):

"Yeah, Barry's up there. I think just for the history of the game, the Babe Ruths, Lou Gehrigs. Yeah. I'm probably just going to throw [splinkers]."

Barry Bonds, who is worth $100 million per Celebrity Net Worth, is widely considered the best baseball player ever despite the steroid use allegations. Babe Ruth has countless MLB records and accolades, but he played in an era where 90 miles per hour was a rare velocity for pitchers to reach. Gehrig was in the same era.

Still, Ruth hit 714 home runs and Gehrig hit 493 homers and won two MVPs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates ace's signature pitch, a mix of a splitter and a sinker, is something two of those hitters never imagined facing. Bonds faced more modern pitching in the 1990s and 2000s, but none of the three were ever thrown a splinker like Skenes throws to opposing hitters today.

---

Paul Skenes discusses changes in offseason mentality

Last offseason, Paul Skenes hadn't even made his MLB debut yet. This offseason, he's the reigning NL Rookie of the Year and he's poised to contend for the Cy Young. He also admitted that he is much more involved now having become a member of the MLB team.

Paul Skenes is experiencing a new type of offseason (Imagn)

He said on "Foul Territory" (8:43):

“I had no idea we were going to make that trade with the Guardians and that kind of thing. There's some things that still surprise me, but I'm definitely more in tune and more interested in it, I think, than I was last year. But yeah, I mean, it's more than anything, just because I don't have anything else to do, besides worry about us putting a really good team together to win next year."

He admitted he's a lot more worried about what the team has done this offseason and will do before Spring Training than he has been in the past as well.