The Pittsburgh Pirates were active this offseason in hopes of ending their playoff drought.
Pittsburgh is led by ace Paul Skenes, who’s become one of, if not the best, pitchers in all of baseball. The first overall pick will be the team’s ace again, as he’s entering his third season in MLB. Skenes went 10-10 with a 1.97 ERA last season, and in his rookie season, he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA.
So, ahead of his third season, MLB analyst David Schoenfield of ESPN believes Skenes will repeat his success and have a sub-2.00 ERA again.
“Again, all it takes is a couple of blow-up starts, and a sub-2.00 ERA in this era becomes difficult,” Schoenfield wrote. “However, Skenes had 12 starts last season where he allowed no runs. That total should rise in 2026 — and I doubt there will be many, if any, five-run outings for this ace.”
If Skenes can have another sub-2.00 ERA, it would be a stellar three-year start to his career, as he looks like he’s on his way to being a Hall of Famer.
Story continues below advertisement
And, if the Pirates are going to make the playoffs, Skenes will need to be dominant as the team’s ace, which Schoenfield expects to happen.
Pittsburgh will open its 2026 MLB season on March 26 against the New York Mets.
More Pirates: Pirates Ace Paul Skenes Gives Honest Assessment Of Tense Win Over Dominican Republic
Story continues below advertisement