Paul Skenes' early Hall of Fame hype presents Pirates with situation they cannot botch

After what will go down in history as one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, Pittsburgh Pirates pitching phenom and 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes may very well already be on the path to Cooperstown.

MLB.com's Mike Petriello named 40 likely Hall of Famers who will take the field in the 2025 season, and Skenes ranked No. 37 on the list. Skenes' ranking placed him in Tier 10 with the "Young stars with two or fewer years of service," a group that includes Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (35), San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (36), Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (38) and Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (39).

"We’re not saying any or all of these players will actually make the Hall," Petriello wrote. "But they’ve shown enough in their first year or two to at least point out that they’re off to great starts."

Paul Skenes' early Hall of Fame hype presents Pirates with situation they cannot botch

In a dominant debut campaign that saw him finish as a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award, Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts, and set a Pirates franchise record for a rookie with 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. He was also the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts in his first 21 games and the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through his first 22 appearances.

Skenes pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer in 15 of his 23 starts last season. He was also pulled from a game after pitching a no-hitter through six innings on two separate occasions, in addition to becoming the first rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Hideo Nomo in 1995.

Tabbing Skenes as a future Hall of Famer less than one full season into his MLB career may sound somewhat far-fetched, but his generational talent suggests that it's possible. And if that's the case, the Pirates need to do whatever they can to lock him down long term when the time comes.

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