Pirates News: Paul Skenes, AFL Home Run Derby, another front office departure

Water is wet, the sky is blue, and Paul Skenes is a National League Cy Young Award finalist.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that the Pittsburgh Pirates ace was named a finalist for the league's top pitching honor for a second consecutive year, joining Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers this time around.

Skenes entered his first full season in the majors as the favorite to win the award, and he delivered on the hype. He led the NL with a 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 2.36 FIP and 217 ERA+ as he went 10-10 over 187 2/3 innings across his 32 starts. His 216 strikeouts were tied with Jesús Luzardo for the second most in the NL behind only Logan Webb’s 224, and he held opposing hitters to a batting average below the Mendoza line (.199).

If he wins the Cy Young – which seems incredibly likely – Skenes will become the third Pirates pitcher to secure the honor and the first since Doug Drabek in 1990. The winner will be announced Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. ET on MLB Network.

Pirates News: 2 prospects to represent Pittsburgh in AFL Home Run Derby

The Pirates will have two prospects participating in the Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby on Saturday – and they are both clear favorites to win the competition.

Esmerlyn Valdez, the Pirates' No. 15 prospect, has been on a power tear this fall with a league-leading eight home runs through the first two weeks of play. Tony Blanco Jr., Pittsburgh's No. 30 prospect, has the longest and hardest-hit home runs in the league. The two will be paired together for the competition, and they look like the team to beat.

The Pirates are the only organization with two prospects set to participate in the derby. Other participants include Tommy White (Athletics), Ethan Petry (Washington Nationals), Luke Adams (Milwaukee Brewers), Thomas Sosa (Baltimore Orioles), Ryan Galanie (Chicago White Sox) and Parks Harber (San Francisco Giants).

Pirates News: Front office staffer leaves to join division rival in St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals announced a wave of front office hires last week under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, and among them was a former Pirates staffer.

Joe Douglas, who spent eight years with the Pirates and most recently served as their head of player analysis, will be the director of pro acquisition for the Cardinals. He is the latest member of Pittsburgh's front office to depart this offseason in pursuit of other opportunities, joining director of amateur scouting Justin Horowitz and vice president of performance John Baker.

The Pirates will now have a number of front office hires to make this offseason, as well as some holes to fill in Don Kelly's coaching staff. One of those holes – left by the departure of pitching coach Oscar Marin – has already been filled by former Houston Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy.