Sportscaster points out major distinction between Paul Skenes and Clayton Kershaw

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes and Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw are at the opposite end of their MLB careers. While Skenes is just getting started after his debut season in 2024, Kershaw is heading into his age 37 season with the Dodgers.

Paul Skenes became the talk of the town after his electric pitches in his rookie campaign with the Pirates, earning him the National League Rookie of the Year award and a top three finish for the NL Cy Young Award.

Following Skenes' Spring Training debut over the weekend, JM Baseball's Chris Rose and Trevor Plouffe compared the young star's command with some of the pitching greats like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw.

Sportscaster Chris Rose pinpointed the distinction between Skenes and Kershaw's early years, saying (6:30 onwards):

"You know what, with Clayton Kershaw, everything looked so smooth and perfect. Paul Skenes just, every pitch is over 100 miles an hour, that was never Kershaw. He threw hard, but he wasn't throwing a hundred."

Rose also reflected on Skenes adding a cutter to his pitching variation in the offseason.

"And now Skenes is adding this cutter," Rose added. "Now he is just fuc**** with everybody, isn't he?"

Three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw is one of the most decorated pitchers over the last two decades and a comparison with an MLB legend bodes well for the Pirates flamethrower.

Paul Skenes working on variations to improve accuracy heading into 2025 season

Following a sensational rookie year, all eyes are going to be on Paul Skenes and his mechanics. The pitching sensation made his spring debut on Saturday, racking four strikeouts in three innings.

Skenes threw 53 pitches against the Baltimore Orioles with his fastballs touching 99 mph consistently. However, one of the highlights of his performance from the mound was his new variations.

“I think it’ll help. I don’t know to what degree yet,” he said on his new pitches. “I've just got to make my misses a little bit smaller and establish presence in the zone. It’s the [same approach], just different ways to do it.”

Paul Skenes had one of the best rookie campaigns by an MLB pitcher last year and is slated to be the next big thing. However, it'll be interesting to see how the Pirates manage his arm this season with Skenes expected to pitch around 200 innings after going 133 innings in his rookie year.