Should The Pittsburgh Pirates Shut Paul Skenes Down For The Season?

Despite the best efforts of superstar rookie starter Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen out of playoff contention. 

The Pirates have gone 12-18 in their past 30 games and 6-14 in their last 20, sinking to last place in the National League Central at 58-66. Skenes though, has continued to be the lone bright spot. Through 16 starts, he has a 2.30 ERA, with 121 strikeouts in 98 innings. He'd already rank in the top 30 in pitcher wins above replacement, had he enough innings to qualify. 

He's also nearing the number of innings he pitched last season at LSU, which creates a difficult problem for the organization to solve: let him keep pitching or shut him down in an attempt to preserve his arm and health moving forward?

For most fans though, there's another option.

MILWAUKEE - Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on July 11, 2024. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Paul Skenes Should Finish Out The Regular Season

It's reasonable to sympathize with the position that the Pirates are playing out the rest of a meaningless regular season, so why risk Skenes' health or future now? 

But Skenes is also one of the main reasons fans go to games in the first place; a rare ace and big name player in a game that's losing them. He also has an incentive to continue pitching: a potential Rookie of the Year win. 

Major League Baseball rules now allow players who finish first or second in the Rookie of the Year to secure a full year of service time, even if they weren't in the majors for the entire season. This change was done to prevent teams from gaining an additional year of team control for star level rookies. Star rookies like Paul Skenes.

Currently, he's widely viewed as one of the top two frontunners for the NL award, along with Jackson Merrill. Milwaukee Brewers star Jackson Chourio is another option, as is Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga or infielder Michael Busch. If Skenes doesn't pitch for the rest of the season though, his odds of finishing in the top two diminish substantially. 

Yes, it would help the Pirates secure another year of Skenes' services at below market prices, but it could cause irreparable division between the two sides. Which could hurt the team if they try to pursue an extension down the road. Not to mention the loss of ticket sales this season.

For what, a minuscule reduction in injury risk? 

Skenes should keep pitching, because that's what athletic competition is about. Seeing the best players put in their best effort. Who knows, what if Skenes throws a no-hitter that he'd otherwise have missed out on? 

According to The Athletic, the Pirates don't currently have plans to rest him moving forward, though they are considering shorter starts. Assuming that's true, good for them. And good for us too.