We all saw the quote about Paul Skenes wanting the Pirates to set the bar higher than just getting to the Wild Card Game. Obviously, the goal should be to aim higher. But that wasn’t even my favorite quote from Skenes this weekend.
You talk about wanting to win. A way that you do that is by showing up and getting better every day,” Skenes told TribLive. “Showing up and getting better every day is a roundabout way of saying, ‘I want to win.’ That is the goal. It’s just a matter of how much you’re willing to give up to do it. I think that is the difference.”
I absolutely love this quote. It really shows how much of a leadership and winning mentality that this 22-year old kid has. Skenes went to the Air Force academy. He was thrust into the spotlight early at LSU and continued to do so after the Pirates took him 1.1 in 2023.
He’s a natural born leader who clearly won’t be afraid to call out teammates if they aren’t doing their part to push the Pirates to new heights in 2025. The leadership group will consist of Skenes, a returning Andrew McCutchen, a new veteran face in Tommy Pham and mainstay Bryan Reynolds.
That’s fine but when you start to really think about where the Pirates are, especially with a generational talent in Skenes in their possession, it’s beyond frustrating.
He’ll be in a bigger market in a few years like Los Angeles or New York after the Pirates simply were his springboard into the inevitable $500+ million contract that awaits him if injuries are kinder to him than Stephen Strasburg when he was dubbed as the next generational talent.
Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton are in year six. The lack of improvement year over year is frightening. And whether Bob Nutting didn’t allow the funds or Cherington did an awful job finding players, the lineup looks almost identical to the 76-win team from last season.
Instead of acquiring bonafide starting caliber players to supplement this pitching staff, they did nothing. Okay, they acquired Pham and traded a nice rotation piece in Luis Ortiz for the equivalent of a 10/1 parlay in Spencer Horwitz. Big deal.
The rotation consists of Skenes and Jared Jones depending on the news of his injury. Mitch Keller will be one of the best No. 3 starters in the league. He’ll be followed by Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney. If Jones misses time, Thomas Harrington will likely assume his spot on the roster. Bubba Chandler awaits in the wings once his Super 2 date passes and he’s magically called up just days later.
Yet, this front office is going to harp on “internal improvement” again this year.
If that’s the case, Oneil Cruz has to finally pop off as he’s been seen as a breakout candidate year after year. Nick Gonzales needs to show some more consistency. Ke’Bryan Hayes has got to hit for more power but most importantly stay healthy enough to do so.
Joey Bart had a career year after Cherington claimed him last season, a very shrewd move that he doesn’t get enough credit for. Is Bart going to continue to elevate his game or was that his best performance?
Henry Davis didn’t crack the Opening Day club. Yes, that is probably more of a numbers game type of deal but if he was truly that talented, he’d have forced the Pirates’ hand and found a way onto the roster.
Is Jack Suwinski going to suddenly pop back into the 30 home run guy and challenge for a starting spot in the lineup come mid season while also cutting down on strikeouts and learning to take walks when he needs to?
It’s just maddening that the Pirates decided that they weren’t going to make any real additions to the lineup when they’ve got this pitching staff. They’re a Jared Jones major injury away from suddenly being a lot less of a threat this season.
Could you imagine if Skenes were to miss any significant time? They might rival the A’s 2024 season. It’s just sad.
We all want to be excited for Opening Day. It’s the only part of the year where everyone feels like they truly have a chance that year.
In my opinion, this front office failed not only Paul Skenes, but all of Pittsburgh who wants to get behind a generational talent but can only enjoy him so much because he’s wasting some prime career years sitting at the bottom of the National League Central because his Front Office and ownership don’t seem to have the same passion and leadership that he does.