Pirates manager reveals success formula for Paul Skenes, claims it helped Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom, and Max Scherzer

As the Pittsburgh Pirates gear up for the 2025 MLB season, Paul Skenes is set to play a bigger role after his major league debut with them last year. The 22-year-old was a breakthrough star, finishing third in the Cy Young voting and picking up the Rookie of the Year award.

Comparing him with great pitchers of the past on The Chris Rose Rotation, Pirates manager Derek Shelton spoke about Skenes' development in the upcoming season (4:55 - 11:38):

"I think the biggest thing and a way forward we've talked to him about is if you minimize the number of pitches you throw. If you stay away from three ball counts, if you stay away from full counts, you're going to allow yourself to go deeper in games. Just because it's not only the number of pitches he throws but how he gets taxed in innings.

"If you have four at-bats where you go 3-2 in one inning, you're getting taxed. So the more efficient he is, and I think that's the thing to say is he the best young pitcher in the last 40 years. Those guys learn that, the DeGroms, the Scherzers, the Verlanders. Those guys learn how to minimize innings, and when he does that, we're going to see him pitch really deep into games."

Paul Skenes was the Pittsburgh Pirates' first overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft and went on to dominate in the minor leagues that year. He was promoted to the majors in 2024, where he proved to be one of the best young pitchers the game has ever seen.

While Paul Skenes was limited to 23 starts in his first season in the majors, he established himself as a force to be reckoned with. The young ace ended the season with a 11-3 record, with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts.

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Pirates insider expects Paul Skenes to take up bigger workload in his second MLB season

Starting pitcher Paul Skenes was undoubtedly the biggest revelation for the Pittsburgh Pirates last year.

The RHP recorded a historic rookie season, setting high expectations for his first full season in the MLB this year. Speaking about his workload ahead of the season, Pirates insder Noah Hiles predicted on the Foul Territory podcast:

"If you look at the way they built him up last year, he finished with about 160 total innings between the minor leagues and the majors. I think that puts him on track to throw close to 200 this year."

After his stellar performance last year, Pirates fans are eager to see Skenes perform in his first full season in the MLB. While expectations are high, all signs point to Skenes having an even better season this year.