Major League Baseball made a terrible mistake by leaving rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg off the National League All-Star team in 2010. It best not repeat that mistake with Paul Skenes, even if Skenes would have among the fewest starts of any rookie pitcher in All-Star history.
The All-Star Game is a television show. Nobody cares who wins. They care about moments. They care about stars, celebrities, whatever word you want to use. They want to be entertained. Strasburg was left off because he’d only made a half-dozen starts. It wasn’t deemed “fair” to roster him.
As one wag put it, “Hefty bonuses are awarded to players who qualify for the All-Star Game, and a 21-year-old Washington Nationals phenomenon with a 2-2 record and 2.45 ERA through six career starts shouldn’t be stealing the recognition and bonus funds from anybody more deserving.”
Please. Strasburg might have been the biggest entertainer in the sport at that time, and Skenes is right up there with the likes of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani as the top entertainer right now. He is a TV show unto himself. He is an event. He is so good that St. Louis Cardinals fans gave him a standing ovation when he was removed from the game Tuesday night.
I don’t need hyperbole here. Just facts. Skenes is the most dynamic strikeout pitcher in the sport and might be the hardest-throwing starter in baseball history. His 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings would lead the majors if he had enough starts to qualify. In conventional numbers, he is 3-0 with a 2.48 ERA, 46 strikeouts and just six walks in 33.1 innings. He unleashed a previously dormant weapon on the Cardinals, bringing them to their knees with a devastating curveball.
Who cares if Skenes will only have 10 or 11 starts before the All-Star break?
Veteran baseball writer Jayson Stark uncovered this incredible gem before Skenes blew away the Cardinals: “(Skenes) has thrown more pitches at 100 mph or harder (53) than the guy he’s often compared to, Stephen Strasburg, threw in his whole career (29).”
I’ll give you a moment to ponder that.
Stark added a bit of advice, which I wholeheartedly endorse: “Whatever you were thinking about doing on a day this guy pitches, don’t do that! Find a way to watch Paul Skenes work his magic for the Pirates. It’s unlike anything or anyone you’ve ever witnessed.”
I have also experienced what Pirates analyst Neil Walker shared during the Pirates-Cards broadcast, regarding the Skenes phenomenon.
“I was amazed at how many people reached out to me who weren’t necessarily avid watchers and were just blown away and said, ‘This is amazing,’” Walker said. “I was blown away with how many people commented on the whole situation. … And it’s not just local.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has to make sure Skenes is on the NL roster. He has that power. He’d be nuts not to use it, if needed.
Can you imagine Skenes facing Judge? It would be riveting theater, kind of like Skenes against Ohtani in the recent Pirates-Dodgers series. Skenes vaporized Ohtani with three straight 100-mph fastballs on the first at-bat. Ohtani later gained revenge by sending a 100-mph-plus moon shot over the center field fence. It was the hardest pitch he’d ever hit for a home run.
Mostly, MLB has gotten it right with rookie phenom pitchers. It really isn’t that hard to read the room. When an entire nation is captivated by one player, you probably want that player in your biggest regular season event.
Mark “The Bird” Fidrych had made only 11 career starts when he was chosen as the American League starter in 1976. Dwight Gooden, Fernando Valenzuela, Kerry Wood and Jose Fernandez were other rookie sensations chosen for All-Star games (Skenes, by the way, is striking out hitters at a greater rate than the phenom that was Gooden in his rookie year).
Another great comparison is Dontrelle Willis, who wasn’t called up until a month into his rookie season of 2003 with the Marlins. Willis made his first start May 9, two days earlier than Skenes. He made just 12 starts before the All-Star break, compiling an 8-1 record and a 1.98 ERA. He was a thrilling pitcher to watch, an obvious All-Star.
The unfortunate catch with Skenes would be if he goes instead of deserving teammate Mitch Keller, who could easily have double-digit wins by mid-July. Hopefully, both will make the roster. Two pitchers from the same team make All-Star rosters all the time.
The Pirates had two (Keller, David Bednar) just last season.
But if there’s room for only one?
Sorry, but it has to be Skenes.
