Paul Skenes couldn’t have a better start to his MLB career. He was the first 2023 MLB pick of the season and has lived up to the hype. Skenes also became the fifth rookie in baseball history to start for the All-Star Game. So, altogether, it has been a revelation for the young pitcher, considering he started 2024 in Triple-A and landed at a major MLB event. 

On Thursday, he tossed seven scoreless innings and recorded 11 strikeouts against the Brewers. By Friday morning came the news of him being the NL starter for the mega event. Also, for a long time, Paul Skenes dreamed of facing Aaron Judge. Luckily, with Judge competing in All-Star 2024,  the 22-year-old pitcher had some interesting things to share about the Yankees captain and a few more hitters. 

Paul Skenes on facing Aaron Judge & others at the 2024 All-Star game

With Skenes being named the National League starter, the probability is high that he could face the Yankees superstar. During a conversation with Kevin Negandhi of ESPN on Friday night, Skenes said, “I am gonna ask today of facing Judge potentially if they decide him to leadoff. Facing him with the first pitch that I throw in the All-Star game, that would be really cool.” Indeed, facing Judge, the pitcher has to be at his best, and Skenes has done the same. He has 12.1 strikeouts every nine innings and an impressive 1.90 ERA. Also, the rookie phenom has consistently thrown 100 mph fastballs to the batters. 

On the other end, there’s Aaron Judge who is chasing the 2024 AL MVP title. Currently, he is leading the charts with 32 homers, 83 RBI, and a brilliant 1.085 OPS. Additionally, with a thought to face Judge, Paul Skenes even mentioned other players: ”I am assuming it’s going to be him, Juan Soto, Henderson, some order of these three at the beginning of the lineup, so it’ll be really cool.” Though Judge is a prime prospect, the other two hitters have astonishing records. Gunnar Henderson ranks third in the league with 27 homers and a .965 OPS. Meanwhile, with all his hitting capabilities, Juan Soto sits in the eighth position with a .992 OPS, .432 OBP, and 64 RBI. 

However, seeing Skene’s recent record, he should be ready for the showdown. The 22-year-old has been striking out hitters consistently. In his last 11 starts, he has got a 6-0 record with an ERA of 1.90, 0.92 WHIP, and a brilliant 89-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 11 starts. Although other pitchers were competing with Paul Skenes, the rising star earned his place in the All-Star event. 

Paul Skenes deserves the All-Star game 2024 selection

While selecting pitchers, Skenes’ name was in an argument. He was compared with other pitchers based on the number of times he has pitched in big leagues. Going by the stats, Paul has thrown only 66.1 innings in 11 starts. On the other hand, Zack Wheeler, Hunter Greene, and Christopher Sanchez were the other candidates. Each player has pitched more than 100 this season surpassing Skenes’ pitching numbers. 

However, comparing on a per-start-based statistics, Paul Skenes has been the most consistent. Playing against the Milwaukee Brewers, despite 11 strikeouts, he threw seven pitches without any hit. Also, Thursday’s start was his sixth one, during which he allowed only two or fewer runs. If that’s not all, Skenes is yet to allow more than three runs in his MLB pitching career. 

Eventually, after Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, if there was any debuted star most talked about, it might be Paul Skenes. Eventually, at the All-Star Game, it will all depend upon the AL manager Bruce Bochy. He will decide the starting lineup of the players, ranging from Soto to Judge and others. And fans would like to see the most awaited battle, Judge facing Skenes, marking a treat to watch on the big stage!