Paul Skenes won the National League Cy Young Award last year, but has not had his best season this year.
Skenes was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2024, and looked like the best pitcher in baseball coming into the season. Through 55 career starts, he had a 1.96 ERA and 386 strikeouts. However, thgis year, he has a 3.91 ERA and his velocity is down. While every fan wonders what has happened to Skenes, he noted that the quick ramp-up for the World Baseball Classic may have played a role.
"There are a lot of other factors, so I don’t want to put everything on that,” Skenes told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Colin Beazley. “But I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit.”
“Usually, that time of year, you’re kind of ramping up and it’s a little bit slow. You can kind of get onto the slope and find your body,” Skenes added. “One live (batting practice), you’re topping at 97 (mph), and then the next you’re 98, 99. And that wasn’t the case this year. ... Looking back, I don’t think that really helped.”
Skenes made two starts in the World Baseball Classic, allowing one earned run in 8 1/3 innings of work. He was brilliant on the biggest stage, but perhaps the intensity of the event without a proper spring training build-up ended up hurting his numbers.
In 2024, his average fastball velocity was 98.8 mph. Last season it was 98.2 mph. This year, his four-seamer is sitting at 96.8 mph. It's a significant drop-off, but perhaps a full offseason with proper spring training will get him back on track next season.
“It definitely affected the year,” Skenes said of the World Baseball Classic. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one.”