As Oscar Marin faces the pressure of filling spots in the starting rotation this season, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach can’t help but keep an eye on the future after they loaded up on pitching in the draft.

Marin was thrilled the Pirates selected LSU right-hander Paul Skenes with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft last Sunday. Skenes became the first pitcher to win the College World Series title, be named its most outstanding player and get drafted first overall in the same year.

“I think everybody got to see what he did in the College World Series and the playoffs,” Marin said. “The stuff is real. Just really excited for him to get into the organization and get things rolling.”

Marin noted how the 6-foot-6 1/2, 250-pound Skenes thrived at LSU under the guidance of pitching coach Wes Johnson, who spent the previous three seasons in the same role with the Minnesota Twins. Marin believes Johnson made a tremendous impact on Skenes, who transferred from Air Force after winning the John Olerud Award as the nation’s best two-way player as a sophomore.

Where Skenes throws a fastball that touches 102-103 mph, a high-spin slider and a changeup that keeps hitters off balance, Marin also was impressed with the athleticism Skenes showed on the mound.

“I think the usage of pitches is probably the biggest thing that I saw,” Marin said. “Man, there aren’t too many guys who can move from one side of the rubber to another with a lefty and a righty, depending on who he’s facing. That takes elite body control, to be able to do so. For him to buy into something like that and be able to do it, the repertoire, the way he moves his body, I think that came into play when he went to LSU.”

Skenes was the first of 14 pitchers the Pirates selected in the draft, including one of seven from the SEC. On Friday, the Pirates signed three right-handers: fourth-rounder Carlson Reed, fifth-rounder Patrick Reilly and 10th-rounder Landon Tomkins. On Saturday, the Pirates signed their seventh-rounder, left-hander Jaden Woods of Georgia, to a reported $273,800 bonus that equaled the slot value of the pick.

Skenes is expected to command a signing bonus close to the $9,721,000 slot value for the No. 1 pick, but Marin isn’t counting on Skenes to join the Pirates pitching staff this season just yet. The Pirates have to sign Skenes first, then build him back up after a month between games. Skenes last pitched in Game 1 of the CWS on June 25.

“I think Paul coming in and getting acquainted to professional baseball, getting a shift in the routine, is what we have to see first,” Marin said. “I don’t think you see many guys getting drafted and going straight to the big leagues, but it doesn’t mean he can’t do it sooner rather than later compared to other guys. But, as of right now for Paul Skenes, it’s just getting him into professional baseball, getting him into a routine because there is a big difference from (starting) every seven days to every six or five days.”

Not that the Pirates couldn’t use a boost to their starting rotation. They lost JT Brubaker and Vince Velasquez to season-ending elbow surgeries and transferred the option of right-hander Roansy Contreras from Triple-A Indianapolis to the Florida Complex League on Thursday. The Pirates promoted 2019 first-round pick Quinn Priester, a 22-year-old right-hander, to start Monday against the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park.

Despite Contreras’ struggles as a starter and reliever this season, Marin said the Pirates still believe in the 23-year-old right-hander but wanted him to work on rebuilding his mechanics. The biggest concern is how his hips were moving slower than normal, Marin said, so the focus will be on how to speed up the rotation through his delivery.

“I think Roansy’s going to be a big part of what we do in the future,” Marin said. “We know when he’s right, we’ve seen him be a good starter. … We just need to get him right. With the resources and things we have in Bradenton for him, getting him out of competition as of right now is probably the best thing for him to get back to himself.”

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