I’ve been a big seamhead this year. I’ve been crushing hours upon hours of “MLB The Show 23,” and my brother put me onto “Out of the Park Baseball.” Besides “Tetris” and “Minecraft” these are the only games I play right now. Game ball all the time during the day, actual MLB ball on the TV at night. I’m living the perfect summer of America’s favorite pastime. Anyway, my point is, I know ball.
Now that we’ve established my ethos, let’s move to the topic of the hour: the aftermath of the MLB Draft and what it means for the Pirates. The Jolly Roger-waving Buccos drafted Paul Skenes out of Louisiana State University this year, a 6-foot-6 pitcher who throws a 102-mile-per-hour fastball with excellent control. He mixes up his pitches well and won a national championship with his teammate Dylan Crews this year. Crews was drafted second, right after Skenes. I was hoping the Pirates would draft Crews for months before Skenes started to do his thing.
The reason I believe Skenes is the correct pick is because he’s the most pro-ready guy. You never know how a field player like Crews will adapt to MLB pitching, even if he did play on a team with Skenes. I believe Crews will be a star in years to come, but Skenes posted a 1.69 ERA his senior year. This year, combined with his first two seasons at Air Force (he probably left because it was Air Force), adds up to a career 2.18 ERA so he’s not just some random flash-in-the-pan hot shot. He is the definition of consistent. He struck out 335 batters in only 235 innings pitched. I am terrified of this man, yet I will root for him with all my sporting soul.
Fans of the Washington Nationals, who drafted Crews, should be joyous. They are getting a guy who will be pro-ready before the Natties know it, because he batted .426 his senior year and has a .380 career average. Talk about consistency hitting its stride. The power is there with 58 home runs and the speed is there with 43 doubles and eight triples.
Both teams won with the pick, and I would be happy with either, but Skenes probably ate Crews’ at-bats up during those LSU practices. Based on my statistical tangent, I would bet my bottom dollar. Since the Pirates are still garbage, but not as garbage as normal, adding any player who has the potential to make me smile in the future is a good thing, and so, Skenes is a good thing. Remember to raise your local Jolly Roger.
Paul Nern is a senior studying communication studies at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Paul know by emailing him pn501919@ohio.edu.
