PITTSBURGH — The Pirates officially signed No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes on Tuesday, another step in a new era of Pittsburgh baseball a day after the debut of pitcher Quinn Priester and catcher Endy Rodriguez.
Skenes received a record $9.2 million bonus, exceeding what Detroit paid Spencer Torkelson to sign in 2020 ($8.42 million). Further terms of the contract were not immediately available.
The assigned slot value for this year's first-round pick was a record $9.721 million.
Skenes, 21, was considered the top available prospect by MLB Pipeline in this year's draft. He's 6-foot-6 1/2 and weighs around 260 pounds, with a fastball that has topped out at 102 mph, plus several sharp breaking balls and an above-average change-up.
The right-hander went 13-2 for the College World Series champion Tigers this past season, with five shutouts, two complete games and a 1.69 ERA in 122 2/3 innings. Skenes struck out a school- and SEC-record 209 while only walking 20 and holding opposing hitters to a .165 batting average.
