Historic rookie season puts Paul Skenes in exclusive company

Paul Skenes seemed destined for greatness even before his name was called as the first selection in the 2023 MLB Draft.

The right-hander had already become a household name in baseball circles after his production during the 2023 season at LSU. Skenes made 19 starts, striking out 202 over 122.2 innings while going 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA. The Tigers rode the backs of Skenes and Dylan Crews (who went one pick after his teammate in the draft) to a 54-17 record on the season and a victory in the College World Series Championship.

Pittsburgh knew they were drafting a generational player and one many considered the most MLB-ready pitcher to come out of the collegiate ranks in decades. Skenes did little to dispel those expectations in his rookie season.

The Pirates carefully managed his workload early in the season. He made seven starts in the minors, pitching just 27 IP in which he struck out 45 and allowed only 17 hits. His MLB debut would come on May 11, less than a year after he’d been drafted. Skenes dominated opposing hitters, posting an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA and 0.947 WHIP, striking out 170 hitters over 133 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .198/.257/.295 slash line.

His success — and popularity, both with fans and opposing players around the league — were so immediate he would start the All-Star Game for the National League (the first rookie pitcher to do so since Hideo Nomo in 1995).

Skenes’ body of work during the year has earned him several accolades, beginning with him being named the NL Rookie of the Year Award, receiving 23 of a potential 30 first-place votes from the BBWAA. San Diego’s Jackson Merrill got the other seven.

The win makes Skenes just the fifth first-overall draft pick to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the first pitcher. The other four are Bob Horner, Darryl Strawberry, Bryce Harper, and Carlos Correa.

Only Horner reached the majors quicker than Skenes. His MLB debut came just ten days after being drafted by the Atlanta Braves.

Speaking of the Braves, left-hander Chris Sale enjoyed a remarkable season in Atlanta and won the NL Triple Crown (as well as being named Comeback Player of the Year). His 18 wins and 2.38 ERA led the major leagues. Sale struck out 225 batters, only bettered by Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (228). The performance resulted in Sale winning the Cy Young Award, as expected, but Skenes would finish third in voting (behind Sale and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler).

Skenes’ 3rd-place finish matches the highest by a rookie pitcher since 2013 when Jose Fernadez finished third behind Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright.

One BBWAA voter listed Skenes 8th on his MVP ballot, further putting the rookie in more elite company. He is just the tenth player in history to receive votes for all of the major annual awards (Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP).

The All-MLB First Team — introduced in 2019, the First and Second Teams are named based on a combination of fan voting and a panel of league experts — also included Skenes among its five starting pitchers. Corbin Burnes, Skubal, Sale, and Wheeler would join him.

Further demonstrating the insane level of popularity Skenes has reached early in his career, a massive bounty has been offered for a collector lucky enough to find a rare Skenes baseball card.

Topps’ Rookie Debut Patch Auto (RDPA) card is, in short, the holy grail of cards for modern collectors. The card literally includes an “MLB Debut” patch that was sewn onto the player’s jersey and worn during his debut game, plus the player’s autograph. Only one copy of each card is created.

Topps created 91 such cards in 2023. This year that number grew to 251.

RDPA cards can be found this year randomly in packs of 2024 Topps Chrome Update, which was released in mid-November.

While many collectors may opt to keep such a card in their collection or even sell it on the open market, the Pirates have raised the stakes significantly for the lucky individual who finds it.

Pittsburgh’s bounty begins with a pair of season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years. Estimating conservatively that these seats cost roughly $50 each for single-game purchases, that’s $100/game. 81 home games a year. Thirty years. That’s 2,430 games or roughly $243,000 (before assuming a discount for purchasing a full season ticket plan) in tickets. That’s a heck of a start!

The Bucs are also inviting the finder of the RDPA card to play a softball game with 29 of their friends on the field at PNC Park. There is a spring training experience, a chance to take batting practice with the team, multiple autographed items from Skenes, and other opportunities.

Livvy Dunne — champion LSU gymnast and well-known social media influencer who is also Skenes’ girlfriend — even upped things by offering the chance to watch one of his starts with her in a suite.

It’s safe to assume more may even be added until the card ends up being found.