Air power: Pirates' Paul Skenes finds flexibility key to developing a pair of new pitch offerings

BRADENTON, Fla. — Paul Skenes never even boarded the bus. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander was warned Monday that there was a good chance his first start of spring training could be rained out, so he threw a 45-pitch live batting practice before it was scheduled to leave.

After joking that he endured an elongated spring training that lasted two-plus months as a rookie, Skenes can’t wait to pitch more than one inning in a Grapefruit League game for the first time in his career.

“Got to get some fans in the stands now and get some adrenaline pumping,” Skenes said, “because I’m tired of throwing with nobody in the stands. It makes a difference.”

Pirates RHP Paul Skenes on having a full spring training to work on his new pitch offerings, a cutter and running sinker. pic.twitter.com/LmkjHCusX0

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 25, 2025

For now, Skenes stands on a saying from his days at the U.S. Air Force Academy: Flexibility is the key to air power. Skenes says he’s learning to be flexible in the major leagues, knowing it’s a key to winning. And he’s hoping his air power could be enhanced by a pair of new pitches.

The 23-year-old Skenes is working to add a cutter and a running two-seam fastball to a repertoire that already includes a triple-digit four-seamer, his signature splinker, changeup, curveball, slider and sweeper.

“Right now, what we’re seeing is a really skilled guy that has the ability to manipulate the ball,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “There are going to be times he’s going to toy with things to see what works. It’s how the splinker came.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton on Jared Jones unveiling his new pitch, a sinker he threw five times and generated four swings: “I don’t think it sucked.” pic.twitter.com/e6yBWm5MLY

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 25, 2025

After being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes developed the splinker before making his professional debut. By last spring, it had become a devastating pitch. Where the sinker-splitter hybrid was the talk of baseball by the All-Star break, Skenes isn’t expecting the cutter or two-seamer to produce immediate results.

“I don’t think anything will be as effective as my splinker, unfortunately,” Skenes said. “At the end of the day, it’s about getting the right action on it and throwing it in the strike zone and throwing it at the right time. That’s pretty much what we’re trying to figure out.”

That Skenes was able to develop new pitches and immediately implement them into his arsenal helped him win NL Rookie of the Year honors and finish third in Cy Young voting last season. Adding the new offerings is an attempt to play off his most effective pitches and give hitters more to think about while in the batter’s box.

“(The cutter) was just a pitch to be able to consistently get one shape with and be able to be a strike-able pitch to be more efficient,” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said. “With the sinker, it’s just something that he wanted to play with and kind of see where it goes from that.”

???? https://t.co/qcsUoR7NBM pic.twitter.com/vyaPRCj9f4

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 16, 2025

Skenes’ first live batting practice went viral when the Pitching Ninja social media account shared a video of his two-seamer breaking low and away from Adam Frazier.

“That was running,” Frazier said. “It ran two feet at 99. What are you going to do? Try not to swing? Time will tell, I guess. His stuff’s already good. If he can play with another pitch and use it effectively and throw it for strikes to ball, it’ll work.”

Nick Gonzales also faced Skenes in a live BP. He couldn’t differentiate his new pitches from his favorites but found it challenging.

“It’s really good, whatever he’s throwing. I’m not sure what the numbers are, but it’s really hard to hit,” Gonzales said. “The overall speed of his pitches and the movement he has on them makes it hard to put the barrel on the ball, whether you know it’s coming or not. Now he’s got how many pitches he has, it’s hard to square it up.”

As much as Skenes has enjoyed toying with the new offerings against his Pirates teammates in live BPs, he’s ready to show his new stuff with sequencing in front of a cheering crowd.

“They haven’t liked hitting off me, I think,” Skenes said. “We’ll see when another team gets in the box.”