Paul Skenes, the Pirates’ top prospect and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft is set to make his MLB debut this weekend against the Cubs.
Baseball’s top pitching prospect is on his way to the bigs.
He’ll face the Cubs on Saturday in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/GtzDpbo4Cb— MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2024
ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian joined Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. to discuss the fireballing phenom and more on Friday’s edition of GoJo and Golic.
The anticipation is palpable for Skenes’ debut, so with that in mind, Senior asked Tim what some of the top baseball debuts come to mind. To him, the best debut he’s ever seen is the recently-retired Stephen Strasburg back in 2010 with the Nationals. Tim says Strasburg was IN THE ZONE, even after he walked off the mound. To take it a step further, Tim says the Skenes debut will be the most anticipated non-Ohtani, non-Yamamoto debut since Strasburg.
“Paul Skenes is getting ready to debut … What are one or two of the top debuts you’ve ever seen?” @golic
— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) May 10, 2024
“I think the best debut I’ve ever seen was Stephen Strasburg … He struck out 14 and walked zero. No one had ever done that in their major league debut…
I think the Paul… pic.twitter.com/XF49YSUBr2
So when it comes to Skenes, what should fans expect? The righty out of LSU has a sub-1.00 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 27 1⁄3 innings at Triple-A. To go along with his 102 MPH fastball, Tim says Skenes has elite control and command along with SIZE and an old-school mentality. Simply put, Tim says his numbers at Triple-A looked like Little League numbers.
“What is the hallmark of Paul Skenes, and what is the thing about his game that you enjoy the most?” @mikegolicjr
— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) May 10, 2024
“Well, he throws 102. That’s a good place to start. He has tremendous elite control and demand … He’s 6’6” 235… His numbers at AAA were like Little League… pic.twitter.com/Ks7F9VWEVC
For more, watch or listen to the full show below and make sure to tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
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Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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