Pirates are placing Paul Skenes at Triple-A Indianpolis to start 2024

Baltimore Orioles v Pittsburgh Pirates
Baltimore Orioles v Pittsburgh Pirates | Christopher Pasatieri/GettyImages

Paul Skenes, the Pirates' first overall pick in the 2023 draft, is poised to make his mark in Triple-A Indianapolis, a crucial step in his path to the big leagues. The announcement of his assignment by the Indianapolis Indians' X account (formerly Twitter) was expected, but nonetheless still exciting to see especially for fans of the Pirates and the Triple-A team.

Within the Pirates organization, Skenes represents not only a symbol of future success but also the near-term future. Many had hoped Skenes would break Spring Training and head north with the Pirates. As much as fans wanted this to be the case, the team made the typical baseball-business decision and sent him down to keep his service time clock from starting. Skenes had a really solid Spring Training with the Pirates. He made 2 appearances, throwing 3 innings total. In those innings, he struck out three hitters. The lone run he conceded was a solo home run to Ray's veteran infielder Ahmed Rosario. Skenes also started the Prospect Breakout Game, sitting down the top prospect in Major League Baseball, Jackson Holiday.

Skenes being placed at Triple-A serves as a source of inspiration for Pirates fans. The fact that he is just one step away proves that he could help the Big League club this season. Paul Skenes very well could be the best pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, including the Major League roster, so he would not just be a reinforcement but a significant addition.

As Skenes takes the mound in Triple-A Indianapolis, Pirates fans will be watching closely anticipating his continued growth and success.

Every pitching appearance he has made at the professional level has been in the public eye. The better he does in Triple-A the more fans of the Pirates will call for him to be promoted. Hopefully, this is the case and Skenes continues to live up to the hype that has been created regarding his ace potential.

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