Paul Skenes has hit Major League Baseball like a lightning bolt, living up to every bit of the hype in the two months since his debut. The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right hander has been rewarded with an All-Star selection, but that isn't enough. Skenes has earned the right to start the game.
Skenes has been dominant since his first big league appearance on May 11. In 10 starts, he's 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 78 strikeouts against 12 walks in 59.1 innings. The 22-year-old has posted 2.6 WAR, putting him ninth in the National League already. His resume stacks up with any other starter on the senior circuit.
Starting Skenes would be great for the game. It would be incredible to see the top young arm in baseball facing the American League's best hitters for an inning or two. The electricity would be phenomenal for the league. But more than that, no one has a demonstrably better case to start over him.
The only NL starters who have an argument are both Atlanta Braves. Reynaldo Lopez and Chris Sale are both having excellent seasons. In 16 starts, Lopez is 7-2 with a 1.71 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts against 34 walks in 89.2 innings. He leads NL pitchers in WAR at 3.4 in his first year as a full-time starter since 2019. Sale has also made 16 starts and is 11-3 with a 2.71 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and 127 strikeouts against 19 walks in 99.2 innings. His WAR is 2.7 as he has rediscovered his dominance in Atlanta.
Both pitchers would make worthy starters for the NL, but given Skenes's trajectory it's easy to argue he's having a better season. He has pitched 30 fewer innings than Lopez and has only produced 0.8 WAR less than him, while he's basically even with Sale (who’s due to start Sunday and likely won’t be available to pitch on one day’s rest, anyway). Skenes’s strikeouts per nine (11.8), far outpaces Lopez (9.3) and just edges Sale (11.5). Then there's this fact: In his 10 starts, Skenes has never left a game with the Pirates trailing. That's remarkable.
The Midsummer Classic is all about showcasing the game's biggest names. Lopez and Sale are great, but MLB doesn't have a bigger ascending pitching star than Skenes. Starting him is justified by the numbers and would also the best thing for baseball
Paul Skenes should start the 2024 MLB All-Star Game for the National League. Any other decision would be doing an injustice to baseball and its fans.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Skenes Deserves to Start the 2024 MLB All-Star Game .
