‘Must-watch TV’: Paul Skenes and his ‘splinker’ take center stage at MLB All-Star Game

ARLINGTON, Texas — On Monday morning, Major League Baseball’s 2023 top overall draft pick wore a gray suit as he navigated the walkways at Globe Life Field and found his seat at the podium next to National League All-Star manager Torey Lovullo. 

A year ago, Paul Skenes was just hoping to be in the majors by this point. On Tuesday evening, the Pirates rookie will start the All-Star Game (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), becoming the first player ever to go from the No. 1 pick one year to an All-Star the next. 

“Yeah,” the 22-year-old NL All-Star admitted, “I didn’t necessarily think I would be here.”

Skenes drew acclaim — and comparisons to 2009 top overall pick Stephen Strasburg — for the power in his right arm after dominating his collegiate competition. He went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 122.2 innings as a junior at LSU while maintaining his triple-digit heat even as he routinely surpassed the triple-digit pitch mark. 

But he knew shortly after leading LSU to a national championship on June 26, 2023, and going first overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates two weeks later, that reaching his major-league goal — not becoming an All-Star, but simply being an effective big-league starter — would require adjustments. 

Primarily a fastball-slider pitcher in college, Skenes went to work on developing a reliable third pitch. Between the end of his time at college and reporting to Pirates camp, he started to fool around with his sinker grip in catch play. Soon, the “splinker” was born. 

“How I was holding the ball did not change, but the way I was releasing it and what I was feeling as I released it changed a little bit, and I just kind of discovered it on one random throw,” Skenes said. “And then I just kept doing it.” 

The final step was throwing it to hitters to see how they reacted.

“I looked silly when I swung at it and struck out,” Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos said. “I’ve never seen something like that. You think it’s there, but it just goes. It just takes off. You see it, and then you don’t see it.” 

There are varying viewpoints on how exactly the pitch should be classified. 

Its 94 mph velocity suggests it’s more of a sinker. Skenes himself views it as such. So does Pete Alonso, who along with Reds sensation Elly De La Cruz is the only MLB player with multiple hits against the pitch this year. 

“I think for me, if you’re ready for the 100-mph fastball, everything else kind of slows down and you’re going to be able to track it better,” Alonso said.

For most hitters, that is easier said than done. 

The vertical depth of Skenes’ “splinker” — 30.6 inches on average — presents itself unlike a sinker, which is why Statcast refers to the pitch as a splitter. 

“It’s like a changeup, but it’s not a changeup; it’s like a fastball, but it’s not a fastball,” Tigers outfielder Riley Greene tried to explain after striking out on the pitch earlier this year. 

Greene noted that when opponents actually do make contact with the pitch, they often pummel it into the ground. 

“Having a different fastball, different shape, it forces hitters to choose between one or the other,” Skenes said. “So, yeah, and it’s fluid. I’ll use it differently every single outing.” 

Regardless of diction, the pitch has already become one of the best in baseball, guiding Skenes’ extraordinary 2024 success even more than the 100-mph heat that emanates from his right arm — though his four-seamer and slider have both been plenty effective as well. 

Among pitchers who’ve thrown at least 50 innings this year, Skenes ranks second in ERA, strikeout rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio. Reynaldo López, who leads MLB in ERA, has six more strikeouts than Skenes … in almost 30 more innings. 

“He’s been pretty much the best closer in baseball but as a starter, and he throws seven innings,” Giants starter Logan Webb said. “When he’s throwing, it’s must-watch TV.” 

Skenes ranks in the 98th percentile in strikeout rate and the 90th percentile in walk rate. He has not allowed more than two free passes in a start this year. 

“I don’t care if you throw 100, if you don’t locate it, we’re going to figure it out at some point,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “It’s his location, his command of the baseball. That’s why he’s so good.” 

Both Freeman and Webb noted how great it is for the game of baseball that Skenes has so seamlessly and speedily developed from a No.1 pick and top pitching prospect to appointment viewing in the majors. 

In the process, he has gained the respect of opposing hitters and pitchers alike. 

“The first thing you don’t realize is how big he is,” Braves starter Chris Sale said of the 6-foot-6-inch phenom. “He’s a big guy, and then just watching how he operates on the mound and watching his stuff live, it’s impressive. It’s just pure power stuff.” 

In his second career start, Skenes struck out 11 Cubs batters in six innings and didn’t allow a hit. In his most recent start, he struck out 11 batters again — and again held his opponent hitless, this time in seven innings against the Brewers. 

“I think I’ve only pitched in one indoor stadium, and I enjoyed it,” Skenes, who will do so again Tuesday in Arlington, said with a grin. “That was my last outing.” 

Fellow Pirate Bryan Reynolds is a six-year veteran and an All-Star for the second time this year, but he doesn’t think Skenes needs any advice from him on how to handle the nerves. From the moment Skenes stepped into the spring training complex, Reynolds noted that Skenes “never seemed in over his head.”

“Just a confidence but not an arrogance type of thing,” Reynolds explained. “He just knows he belongs, which he does.” 

Those who have yet to face Skenes, including 2012 top overall pick Carlos Correa, have watched his starts in awe. 

“Just seeing him on TV, I’m like, ‘How are people hitting this guy?’ Correa asked, bewildered. 

Those who have faced Skenes, who has not lost a game in his brief professional career, tend to remember the experience vividly. 

“He obviously has great stuff, but there’s guys throughout the league that have really good stuff, too,” Christian Yelich said. “I think he knows how to use it. He knows how to pitch.” 

Skenes is the only pitcher in MLB history with more than 85 strikeouts and an ERA under 2.00 through his first 11 starts. 

In that time, he has become the front-runner for the NL Rookie of the Year Award, a contender for the Cy Young Award and the most logical choice for Lovullo, who bestowed upon him the honor of becoming the fifth rookie ever to start the All-Star Game (and the first since Hideo Nomo in 1995). 

There was no hesitancy with the decision. Lovullo described the choice as a “no-brainer.” 

“I wanted to just make sure that the world got a chance to see him,” Lovullo said. 

What awaits is Skenes’ toughest test yet. 

The top three of the American League lineup includes this year’s batting leader in Steven Kwan, arguably the sport’s top shortstop in Gunnar Henderson and a leading MVP contender in Juan Soto. If any of those batters reach, MLB home run leader Aaron Judge lingers.

It’s a matchup everyone eagerly awaits. But it’s also one that — considering Skenes is unlikely to pitch more than an inning — won’t happen unless one of those top three batters reaches base. 

“I’m going to try to dive over the plate, get hit, maybe a bunt single, I don’t know,” Kwan quipped, trying to get the people the show they desire. 

The Guardians leadoff man didn’t know he would be leading off until Monday, but he plans to do some reconnaissance work, tapping into the veterans on the AL roster to see what they might have on the flamethrower, who has already surpassed even his wildest dreams one year into his professional career. 

“Pretty dang cool to even be in this position, to be at the All-Star Game in the first place,” Skenes said. “Just super grateful.” 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, L.A. Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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