'He deserves it': Pirates name Paul Skenes opening day starter

Noah Hiles, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Mar 15, 2025

Published in Baseball

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BRADENTON, Fla. — When Paul Skenes walked into Derek Shelton's office Friday afternoon, displayed on a TV in the background was the live broadcast of the Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies Spring breakout showcase.

Just one year ago, Skenes served as the headliner of that event, throwing a scoreless first inning against the Baltimore Orioles. The outing served as an appetizer for what was to come, as he went on to take the baseball world by storm in his historic rookie season.

Skenes' days as a prospect are now long gone. His success on the mound has already earned him a handful of titles; All-Star, 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Finalist, to name a few. During his meeting with Shelton Friday afternoon, Skenes learned that another title would soon be added to his list of achievements, an honor every big league ace hopes to hold throughout their career.

Entering his second year as a big-leaguer, Skenes was informed by Shelton that he would be the Pirates' 2025 opening day starter.

"I think he deserves it, just from what he did last year, the way he's performed," Shelton told reporters Saturday morning. "I think we have a really good rotation with some other guys who can do it. Mitch has done it in the past and has done a really good job, just felt like Paul was the best choice."

Skenes earned the nod over fellow sophomore Jared Jones and veteran Mitch Keller, who was the Pirates' opening day starter in each of the past two seasons. He will make his first opening day start at just 22-years-old, making him the youngest opening day starting pitcher in franchise history since at least 1900, per Elias Sports Bureau. From a league-wide perspective, Skenes will be the youngest MLB opening day starter since Jose Fernandez (Marlins) in 2014.

"It was a goal for sure," Skenes said of becoming the club's opening day starter. "It's a cool thing to kinda put on the record, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't go out there and win. Gotta go out there and pitch well."

This spring, Skenes has dedicated a large portion of his time toward learning a pair of new pitches — a two-seam fastball and a cutter. Through three Grapefruit League starts, he is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA, having struck out 12 batters over 10 innings.

The Pirates will open their 2025 season on Thursday, March 27 at LoanDepot Park in Miami against the Marlins. First pitch for that contest is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

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