Paul Skenes is one of the best pitchers in the league, a generational phenom, and he’s currently on one of the worst teams in the league. The team shows no signs of improvement any time soon. Is the career of Paul Skenes being wasted, and if so, who’s to blame?
Bob Nutting and Co. Are Wasting A Generational Talent
Paul Skenes Cy Young Chances
Skenes is currently one of the best pitchers in the league. In 11 games started, he has accumulated 2.2 WAR, with an ERA of 2.36. Adjusted for the current offensive environment of the league, he has an ERA+ of 178, meaning he is 78% better than the league average pitcher. He’s 7th in the league for WAR and 3rd in the National League. What’s even crazier is that he’s actually currently underperforming compared to his rookie season. Most experts actually expect him to improve even further as the season progresses.
Right now, ESPN has him as the favorite to win the NL Cy Young and by a pretty significant margin, too. How could one possibly fumble such a talent?
Pirates Ownership Cheapness
The Pirates currently have the 26th highest payroll in the league. They’re spending less than a quarter of the league-leading Yankees. They haven’t made the postseason in almost 10 years, they haven’t advanced past the wild card game since 2013, and they haven’t been a real threat to compete for the World Series since Barry Bonds was on the team and Bill Clinton was still in his first term. The Pirates have had talented players putting together good seasons, including during the season happening right now. They’ve had exciting talents that entire time, like Andrew McCutchen, Jason Bay, and currently, Paul Skenes. No, the reason they have been in this drought is because they have been in the bottom 5 in payroll since the mid-1990s, and look like they will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
People can blame the GM, but how can you blame a revolving door of guys who have been handcuffed by the budget restrictions ownership puts on them? The blame for this drought lies squarely on Bob Nutting and Co., and until they invest more into the team, the drought will continue.
The Last Word on Paul Skenes
The worst part about all of this is that Nutting and Co. aren’t just wasting a once-in-a-generation talent. They are also wasting a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Pittsburgh is an amazing sports town. They love the Steelers and Penguins over there, and there is a great sports culture there. The Pirates should be near the top of the league in attendance. They should have a big diehard fan base in the mold of teams like the Padres and the Cardinals. Instead, they’re currently sitting at 26th in attendance because Nutting has simply not cared about the team for years.
This is their opportunity to change that. By the grace of god, they have been handed a guy who not only has Hall of Fame potential, but is also hugely well-known on social media and among non-baseball fans. He is marketable to every demographic of fans and non-fans. Pirates ownership should be going all in on Skenes and this iteration of the Pirates. This is their chance to finally take advantage of Pittsburgh being a great sports town and slingshot the Pirates to being up there with the Steelers and Penguins. Instead, they’re just content to cheap out and waste Skenes and this golden opportunity they’ve been handed. At the rate they’re going, Skenes is probably gone in a few years to a team that will actually pay him and try to put a good team around. That shouldn’t happen, but it most likely will. The Pirates faithful deserve better. Pittsburgh as a whole deserves better.
Main Image Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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