The Pittsburgh Pirates won only 76 games last year. But excitement is brewing around the Steel City’s baseball team for the first time in a decade. They have a superstar pitcher in former first-overall pick Paul Skenes and the Pirates have a chance at the playoffs because of it. The LSU product was on Sportscenter speaking about his desire to bring winning baseball back to Pittsburgh.
“It happens within the locker room … we’re going to put the work in together.”
Paul Skenes shares his thoughts on how the Pirates can find success this season despite a limited payroll
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— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 19, 2025
“It happens in the locker room,” Skenes said when asked about building a winner. “We’re in spring training right now and so it started February 13 or 14, whatever the date was where we were working together as a squad. And it is going to continue until September or October next year.
Skenes continued, “We’re going to put the work in together…I think if we do what we want to do it will be because we had a level of commitment and understanding within the locker room that no other team had.”
The Pirates have not made the playoffs since 2015, the second of consecutive losses in the NL Wild Card game. It has been a long and arduous rebuild for the Buccos but it landed them Skenes, who could make it all worth it.
But any playoff baseball team needs balance and the Pirates’ offense leaves a lot to be desired. They ranked 24th in runs scored and their big offensive addition was Tommy Pham. They need their young players like Oneil Cruz to step up offensively and carry the rotation.
The Pirates’ pitching is more than just Paul Skenes. Jared Jones is also 23 years old, Mitch Keller had a great season last year, and Bailey Falter had a solid season. This is their strongest position group and could lead them to October for the first time in a decade.
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