August 22nd, 2023 by WCBC Radio
Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that pitcher Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 draft, has been promoted to Altoona.
Skenes becomes the fifth player in franchise history to be selected first overall and suit up for the Curve following RHP Kris Benson (1996 / 2002 rehab), RHP Bryan Bullington (2002, 2004 with Curve), RHP Gerrit Cole (2011 / 2012 with Curve) and C Henry Davis (2021 / 2022-23 with Curve).
The 21-year-old, who hails from Lake Forest, California, made his Pirates debut with the FCL Pirates on August 10 in the Florida Complex League with a scoreless inning against the FCL Twins. Skenes has also made two starts with Low-A Bradenton totaling 3.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Skenes is expected to make his Curve debut on Saturday when the Curve host the Akron RubberDucks (Cleveland Guardians) at 6:00 p.m. at Peoples Natural Gas Field. He is ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in the minors by MLB Pipeline.
Altoona’s newest right-hander began his collegiate career at Air Force where he earned the 2022 John Olerud Award as the nation’s best two-way player. In his freshman season at Air Force, he was named National Co-Freshman of the Year by Collegiate Baseball, an award he shared with future LSU teammate Dylan Crews (selected No. 2 overall by Washington in 2023).
Skenes transferred to LSU for the 2023 season where he earned the Dick Howser Trophy given to the nation’s best NCAA Division I player. In his lone season with the Tigers, Skenes finished 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched and was named the 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year. Skenes was named the College World Series’ Most Outstanding Player after going 1-0 with a 1.15 ERA in two starts in Omaha, aiding the Tigers to the National Championship. He struck out an SEC record 209 batters in his lone season at LSU.
The Curve is proud to celebrate 25 years of memories in Curve, PA throughout the 2023 season. For tickets or more information, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99. CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during every home game and online 24/7/365.
