Pirates ace Paul Skenes concentrates on his pitching performance, not Cy Young candidacy

Paul Skenes is willing to give everything he has to be the best pitcher in baseball while simultaneously expending as little energy as possible thinking about winning the National League Cy Young Award.

The Pittsburgh Pirates ace has learned to compartmentalize his thoughts, concentrating on doing his job every outing and taking comfort in knowing that if he performs at his optimum the results will follow.

“I’ve been through it a few times, this kind of thing,” said Skenes, who led LSU to its seventh national championship and was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. “The first time was when I was at LSU, with the draft and the College World Series. It’s easy when you’re in the College World Series to not worry about the draft. And this time last year, not worrying about winning NL Rookie of the Year.

“I’ve done it before, in terms of having distractions and tuning them out. It’s a test every day to not think about it, not that thinking about it is bad. It’s just not what motivates me. I’ve had the mindset as long as I’ve played baseball that as long as I do the work that stuff will take care of itself. We’ll see where we’re at in November.”

The 23-year-old right-hander is positioning himself to join Dwight Gooden as the only NL pitchers to follow rookie of the year honors by winning a Cy Young in his second season.

Despite an 8-9 record, Skenes has an MLB-best 2.07 ERA and ranks among the major-league leaders with an 0.94 WHIP (tied for third), .195 batting average-against and 161 innings pitched (third), 181 strikeouts and 17 quality starts (tied for fourth) this season.

When Skenes tossed seven scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday at PNC Park, it marked the seventh time this season he’s gone at least six innings without allowing an earned run, including three starts of seven or more innings. Skenes has shown to be a model of consistency, both in his preparation and performance.

“Oh man,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “You know what? He does that every day. That’s the way that he works every single day, and then we get to see it every five days when he goes out there to pitch. It’s the stuff in between that makes him so special. He should definitely be in that conversation, and at the top of the list.”

Skenes’ primary competition might have been removed from consideration this week. The Philadelphia Phillies announced Saturday that 35-year-old right-hander Zack Wheeler will require thoracic outlet surgery and miss the remainder of the season. Wheeler (10-5) leads the NL with 195 strikeouts, is tied with Skenes with a 0.94 WHIP and has a .197 batting average against in 24 starts.

“I try not to look at it that way,” Skenes said of Wheeler’s season-ending surgery. “If you win an award like that, you want to win with guys at their best. It’s unfortunate for him, obviously, for the award. It’s bad for baseball that he’s not in the game, that he’s not going to be in the postseason this year. It’s unfortunate.”

That Skenes has enjoyed a historic start to his career only enhances his chances. His 2.02 ERA through his first 50 starts ranks second among starting pitchers since the start of the live ball era in 1920, trailing only Vida Blue’s 2.01 from 1969-72.

Skenes finished third in NL Cy Young voting as a rookie, when he was 11-3, with a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 170 strikeouts against 32 walks in 133 innings over 23 starts. Aside from his record, which has lost importance compared to the metrics in the eyes of voters, the one thing that could hamper Skenes’ candidacy is the Pirates (57-74) are 24 games out of first place in the NL Central Division.

The other top candidates pitch for playoff contenders. Freddy Peralta is 15-5, with a 2.68 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .197 BAA and 160 strikeouts for the Milwaukee Brewers, who have the best record in baseball. Nick Pivetta is 13-4, with a 2.82 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, .187 BAA and 161 strikeouts for the San Diego Padres, who are tied for first place in the NL West. Their performances down the stretch could decide playoff positioning.

That reminds Pirates shortstop/third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa of playing for the New York Yankees when Gerrit Cole won the American League Cy Young in 2023. The Yankees finished 82-80, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016, so their focus was on helping Cole win the honors. Cole went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222 strikeouts in 209 innings over 33 starts.

“We were out of the race in New York, and, as a team, we put all our effort into making sure that was the only thing that really mattered to us,” Kiner-Falefa said. “It’s kind of the same situation here. If we’re able to play good defense and he continues doing what he’s doing, it gives us something to play for. It gives you a little more energy going onto the field. It’s special to be a part of. When my teammates around me win MVPs or Cy Youngs, I feel like I’m part of it. So we definitely want to do everything we can to help him finish this thing out.”

Kiner-Falefa shook his head thinking about how Skenes is only 23 and in his second season in the majors. The way he carries himself both on the mound and in the clubhouse belies his age.

“It’s amazing,” Kiner-Falefa said. “Every day, you go out there and try not to take it for granted. It’s like what he is doing is a one-of-a-kind thing. The consistency is something I’ve never seen before. The way he’s able to pick up his teammates in big spots, the way he’s able to make a big play defensively with a runner on third or picking a guy off in a big spot, the way he plays the game covers every box. You just don’t see that from someone at his age. You wouldn’t think that’s he’s his age. You’d think he was 35.”

Skenes is aiming to reach the 200-innings mark, which would put him on pace for 214 strikeouts over 32 starts. That would break Mitch Keller’s franchise record (210) for strikeouts in a season by a right-handed pitcher, which was set in 2023.

But Skenes isn’t worrying about whether he will win hardware, treating it with the same deference as he did the rookie honors.

“One, the award itself is out of my hands. If it’s up to the voters, it’s out of your hands,” Skenes said. “Two, if you do what you’re supposed to do and take care of it, keep doing the work and pitch well, it’s going to take care of itself, however it should, whether you win it or not. It’s the same thing as rookie of the year last year. That’s how I look at it.”