Not everything is going right for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the moment! While the Pirates managed to sign Paul Skenes in 2024, he hasn’t found much support from anyone. As pointed out by the American manager Derek Shelton on February 11, Skenes is quite impressive and is one of the youngest pitchers, so, calling him one of the best pitchers so early sounds legit. This 2024 season, he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 170 K, and 0.95 WHIP.

Paul Skenes has turned heads around with his dominant play in his outing of 6+ innings, making 10 strikeouts and not allowing any hits in his first and second appearances. Skenes’ 78 strikeouts in his first 10 starts ranked him at the eighth position among the pitchers, and he is the first pitcher to do so since 1900. But that isn’t enough, it seems, as he gets no support from the others; despite such dominance shown on the field, the owners haven’t backed him enough, which led to the fans lambasting the management.

Even with Paul Skenes’ best effort, the Pirates’ hitters were unable to make much of an impression, and as a result, his best performance was ultimately disregarded. When asked about being one of the best pitchers on February 11 on Talking Baseball, Derek Shelton said, “Yes, I think he has all the tools, and I definitely think he’s in the conversation. You know to say it after having 15 or 16 starts or whatever he had or 20 starts; it’s hard to say. But I think with the tools he has, the mindset he has, and the way he works, he’s definitely in that conversation with the best young pitchers that we have seen over the last 40 years.”

Derek Shelton has instilled faith in him, and he believes that Paul Skenes has all the areas covered perfectly, and the mindset that he has makes him a strong contender to become one of the best pitchers. However, the Pirates’ management doesn’t seem willing to offer him a long-term contract, and no approaches have been made as well. Meanwhile, the Pirates’ owner, Bob Nutting, hasn’t spent much as well, which resulted in sudden outrage among the fans too. 

Fans share their responses about Paul Skenes not getting enough support

Paul Skenes continued to impress the fans in 2024, posting an impressive 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 133.0 innings. Meanwhile, his possibility of staying with the Pirates is dependent on the 2025 MLB season; however, with the lack of spending by the managers and owners, the chances are very unlikely, and Skenes may even look for better opportunities next season. One of the comments noted that Skenes has been a great talent; however, there are two others, including Fernando and Gooden. However, the user mentioned that both the players were on better teams; Dwight Gooden was on the New York Mets, while Fernando Valenzuela played for the Dodgers.

Another hopeful fan commented on Paul Skenes, hoping that he would become one of the best pitchers of all time in the past 50 years. Well, Skenes had a terrific 2024, as he not only made five strikeouts but also went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA, along with SEC-record 209 strikeouts, 20 walks, and a.165 batting average in the 19 starts he made for the NCAA-champion LSU Tigers in 2023.

One commenter compared Paul Skenes with the likes of Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier of the Pirates and wished that the management focused more on building around him rather than on the other two. While Frazier made only four home runs with a.202 average, 22 RBIs, and.576 OPS, Pham had 440 AB, a .248 average, and 39 RBIs, which clearly indicates the poor amount of support that Skenes has been getting despite doing his best for the team.

Agreeing with the previous comment, a fan of the Pirates questioned the role of the Pirates’ management, citing no efforts made to support Paul Skenes, who is assumed to have become the best young pitcher in the last 50 years. The Pittsburgh Pirates were often found to refuse to spend money, which remained a sore spot for years, and their reluctance to sign a free agent that could give a major boost to the lineup also indicates their lack of support for Skenes, which caused a sudden outburst among the fans.

The Pirates basically did nothing to help the team in the offseason; neither did they succeed in spending on big players, nor did they focus on the additional aspects of baseball that require attention at present, as stated by another user. Also, the Pirates did not approach him for a long-term contract, which could make his presence in the team very unlikely the next year.

What’s your opinion about the Pittsburgh Pirates, and how they can provide a helping hand to Paul Skenes? Let us know in the comment below.