PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes woke up Wednesday to three missed calls from a number he didn't have saved on his phone. He had thrown his scheduled bullpen session before Triple-A Indianapolis' 11:08 a.m. ET game against Louisville and he needed a nap after the game. It turns out that call

The wait for Paul Skenes is finally almost over. The most anticipated pitching prospect of his generation is set to make his Major League debut against the Cubs at PNC Park on Saturday. Here is the info you need for his debut: How can fans watch the game? If fans

Paul Skenes could be Stephen Strasburg. Stephen Strasburg could be Paul Skenes. Send Skenes back in time or bring Strasburg forward, and one easily could stand in for the other. Both overmatched college hitters, leading NCAA Division I in strikeouts while posting the highest K rates in D-I history for

It remains to be seen what kind of big league career Paul Skenes will have, but now that it’s about to begin, we can try to put the build-up to his Major League debut in some historical context. There is no question that Skenes’ debut is the most highly anticipated

In the later part of the 2023 collegiate baseball season, the Pirates sent Dewey Robinson to Baton Rouge, La., on a scouting trip. A special advisor on pitching development, Robinson has more than 40 years of coaching experience under his belt and is one of the highest ranking members of

INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul Skenes was a national champion at LSU. He became a No. 1 overall pick with the Pirates in 2023. He’s been the Minors’ most dominant pitcher at Triple-A Indianapolis to begin 2024. And in many ways, he still thinks like that catcher calling pitches for Air Force

An elite college hitter is on the doorstep of making his Major League debut. Selected with a premier pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the star catcher and designated hitter batted .367 with a 1.124 OPS at the NCAA Division I level. Since joining his big league organization, he’s dominated

Paul Skenes was selected first overall by the Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft. Less than a year later, he's already dominating at Triple-A ... and now he'll have a chance to dominate in the big leagues. Pittsburgh announced it will call up Skenes for his MLB debut on Saturday

Paul Skenes’ MLB debut -- set for Saturday -- has been the top headline in prospect circles for weeks now. Fans are clamoring to see the 6-foot-6 fireballer and his electric stuff in Pittsburgh. While Skenes’ fanfare is well deserved, there’s another an ace-in-the-making toeing the rubber in the Steel

PITTSBURGH -- The wait for Paul Skenes is finally over. The Pirates announced on Wednesday that they are promoting their top prospect to the Majors. Skenes, a fireballing right-hander, is scheduled to make his first start on Saturday against the Cubs at PNC Park (4:05 p.m. ET), according to the

With growth comes growing pains, even for the top pitching prospect in baseball. Pitching on four days' rest for the first time as a professional, Paul Skenes allowed his first home run since the Pirates selected him with the No. 1 overall Draft pick last July, but he limited the

PITTSBURGH -- There are few reasons for a crowd to roar in a 0-0 ballgame. But what Jared Jones did against the Rockies on a rainy Saturday afternoon at PNC Park was worthy of the ovation that he earned, and it played a part in setting up the biggest cheer

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. PITTSBURGH -- Considering how Jared Jones has burst onto the scene in 2024, just about everyone who has watched him has had that eye-opening

With every 100 mph fastball and crackling slider he unleashes, Paul Skenes nears the inevitable. As MLB's No. 3 overall prospect continues to enhance his reputation as a generational talent, the rest of the baseball world watches and waits for possibly the most anticipated big league debut by a pitching

The role of the reliever continues to evolve in baseball, but there’s still something to be said about closers. They’re the ones who get the entrance music and the light show just for coming out of the bullpen in the biggest of spots. (Think of what Edwin Díaz has done

Five starts and 14 1/3 scoreless innings into his 2024 campaign, Paul Skenes allowed his first run of the year for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday against Omaha. The run marked the first blemish to his previously perfect ERA, but the rest of the outing, for the most part, was business

PITTSBURGH -- Brewers manager Pat Murphy first saw Jared Jones when the pitcher was just 10 years old. Jones pitched for a rival club program in the Los Angeles area, and even then, Murphy took notice of him. “This kid was always a special athlete,” said Murphy. “So it’s cool

PITTSBURGH – In his young Major League career, Jared Jones has shown an incredible knack for getting whiffs and strikeouts on ugly swings. And Monday, he may have unleashed his season’s masterpiece.

Paul Skenes appeared on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show on Friday, where Pittsburgh’s top prospect spoke on professional baseball, his mindset, and of course, his fastball velocity. "I don't know how I do it." Skenes admitted. “When I was a junior in high school, I was probably throwing 86 mph. So

INDIANAPOLIS -- Thursday night brought another Paul Skenes start, and that meant more triple-digit heat, more strikeouts, more zeros in the runs column … and another relatively abbreviated outing for the top pitching prospect in baseball. In his fourth outing of the young season, MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect

There’s no date yet for Paul Skenes’ potential Major League debut, and it’s OK to be a little antsy wondering when it will be. The Pirates also currently have a hole in their starting rotation with Marco Gonzales on the injured list. But Skenes, MLB Pipeline's No. 3 overall prospect,

NEW YORK -- Right-hander Jared Jones, ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Pittsburgh’s system and No. 57 in baseball by MLB Pipeline, had the best outing of his big league career on Tuesday night. However, Jones received a no-decision in the Bucs’ 3-1 loss to the Mets at Citi

It's nearly a month since the 2024 season opened in South Korea, so it's time to take a look at the campaign's early top rookie performers, also known as the April edition of MLB Pipeline's Rookie Hot List. Each month, MLB.com will look at which rookies performed best over the

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.