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Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Paul Skenes recently showcased a personalized kit that paid homage to his origins during the Spring Breakout tournament.
The custom cleats had the names of his former academic institutions on one side of the sneaker. One side of the sneaker had the names of El Toro High School, Air Force Academy, and Louisiana State University, while the other side credited his hometown of Fullerton, California.
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Fans also loved the customization of the sneaker as they took to the comment section and shared their reactions. One fan thinks that his girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, is lucky to have Paul Skenes as her partner.
"Olivia Dunne got the best!" one fan said.
"Love this," another commented.
"PAUL SKENES FULLERTON LEGEND," one fan said.
Here are a few reactions:
Skenes spent his childhood in Orange County, California. He went to El Toro High School and played three seasons of varsity baseball. Coming from a military family, he enrolled at the Air Force Academy and played college baseball for them.
Ahead of his junior season, Skenes transferred to LSU.
Paul Skenes to start the season in minors
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Paul Skenes as the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
On Tuesday, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington announced that Skenes would not be on the Opening Day roster and would instead start the season in the minors.
According to Cherington, Skenes still needs some fine tuning to adhere to the major league schedule. Here's what the 21-year-old told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the decision:
"I've thrown 6⅔ innings in pro ball. It's just kind of how it goes. [Cherington] said it would be unprecedented if I started the year in the big leagues. Not that I don't think I can do it, but I understand it."
Cherington, however, hasn't mentioned whether he will start the season with Triple-A Indianapolis or Double-A Altoona.
This spring, he has pitched three innings, allowing one run and striking out three.
In the 2023 season for LSU, Paul Skenes went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA in 19 starts, including two complete games. He had 209 strikeouts in 122.2 innings.
