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With a record-breaking signing bonus now secured, Paul Skenes is officially a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization
The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially signed the no. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. In the process, the team has given out the largest signing bonus in draft history. Paul Skenes is officially a Pittsburgh Pirate.
No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes signs w/@Pirates for $9.2 million (pick value = $9,721,000). Breaks @MLBDraft record of $8,416,300 (Torkelson, 2020). @LSUbaseball RHP, ranks w/Strasburg as best Draft pitching prospect ever. Fastball up to 102 mph, wipeout upper-80s slider. pic.twitter.com/hVECfTjFLx
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 18, 2023
Paul Skenes is a PIRATE !! pic.twitter.com/Qo9oUidcUp
— AT&T SportsNet™ PIT (@ATTSportsNetPIT) July 18, 2023
Even though Skenes has signed for a MLB Draft signing bonus record of $9.2 million, it is still an under-slot deal. The slot value for the no. 1 overall pick this season was $9,721,000. It remains to be seen what, if anything, the Pirates will do with the money saved by Skenes signing under-slot. But that is a discussion for a different day.
Skenes is viewed by many as the best pitching prospect in the MLB Draft since Stephen Strasburg in 2010. If Skenes pans out anywhere close to the way Strasburg did then the Pirates and their fans will be very happy.
Skenes has an explosive fastball and an absolutely wipeout slider. Both of those pitches have the potential to be the best pitch in all of baseball. Make no mistake about it, Skenes has the tools and makeup necessary to be in the discussion of best pitcher in all of baseball.
We will know more following his press conference this afternoon, but Skenes should be able to climb the Pirate farm system quickly. Even if he does not pitch professionally at all this summer, there is a real possibility that Skenes is in the MLB starting rotation by June of next season.