Don Kelly breaks down Paul Skenes' up-and-down season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Paul Skenes takes the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday in what could very well be his final start of the 2026 season, unless Pittsburgh somehow finds itself in the postseason.
It’s been a weird season for Skenes, to say the least.
Has Skenes looked like the same pitcher he was the previous two seasons? No. Does that mean he’s been a bad pitcher for the Pirates in 2026? Also, no.
The starter’s 3.93 ERA and 1.14 WHIP are more than solid compared to the rest of the pitchers across MLB, but they don’t signal the same Skenes the Pirates have had during the first two years of his career.
All of this has made it pretty difficult to evaluate Skenes’ season, and that’s what manager Don Kelly was asked to do ahead of Friday’s game.
“I think he's had a good year. I would say, and he would probably agree, not a great year by his standards, and he has pitched well enough to help us win games,” Kelly said. “As he continues to work, as he continues to learn himself, learn the adjustments, the prep, the recovery, and it's a process.”
Aug 25, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn ImagesKelly is correct; the expectations for Skenes have been set so high because of what he’s been able to accomplish on the mound. His stats have inflated from the previous two years, but Skenes has still pitched well enough for the Pirates to win.
On the other side of this, Kelly believes the adversity Skenes has faced this season could actually help him be a better pitcher in the future.
“I think Paul set the bar so high the first two years- Rookie of the Year, Cy Young - and the expectation that he has for himself to still reach that bar is what he expects. Extremely tough bar to reach every single year, and I think that Paul has learned a lot going through this year,” Kelly continued.
Last year, the average age of players making their MLB debut was just above 25 years old. Skenes is 24, and has three seasons under his belt. There's still so much room for the pitcher to grow.
Kelly continued, “I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that Paul Ske is human and that he's in his third year in the major leagues and he's still learning how to navigate 162. I think that he has pitched well. I don't think that, he's satisfied with where he's at. He's going to continue to work to continue to improve, and I think that with Paul Sk is yet to come.”
With all that said, there are definitely some concerning trends throughout Skenes’ season, primarily with his midseason drop in velocity. Pittsburgh’s skipper is clearly confident about his ability to be an elite pitcher for a long time.
