Pittsburgh Pirates news: Paul Skenes to make Grapefruit League debut on Thursday

Thursday afternoon will be an exciting one for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fans as prized pitching prospect Paul Skenes will make his Grapefruit League debut

Pittsburgh Pirates fans won't have to watch much longer to see the Grapefruit League debut of top pitching prospect and 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes.

On Tuesday, Baltimore Orioles beat writer Jake Rill announced on X, that Skenes, MLB Pipeline's No. 3 overall prospect will go up against Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, who Baltimore traded for earlier this month, when the Pirates meet the Orioles in Sarasota, Florida on Thursday afternoon. Fans can listen to the game, however, via MLB.com

Unfortunately for not just Pirates fans but baseball fans a whole, Thursday's matchup is not scheduled to be televised by either the Pirates or Orioles. You will, however, be able to listen to the game on the MLB At-Bat App and 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.

Skenes was drafted No. 1 overall by the Pirates in last year's MLB Draft. After signing with the club, Skenes would make five starts for the Buccos across three levels, making stops in the Florida Complex League (Rookie), Florida State League (A), and Eastern League (Double-A).

In those five starts, Skenes allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks in 6.2 innings pitched.

The 21-year-old Skenes will be one of the most watched players in spring training this year. While it seems unlikely that he will break camp with the Pirates, it is likely that he will make his MLB debut at some point in 2024.

Skenes in his Grapefruit League debut will likely only pitch one or two innings max, as the Pirates will be sure to be highly careful with their top prospect and one of their most anticipated prospects in franchise history.

Skenes will be looking to join Termarr Johnson, who had a multi-home run performance on Monday, as top Pirate prospects who are impressing in the early going of the Grapefruit League season.