Draft and minor leagues in April 2024 The
Pittsburgh Pirates selected Skenes with the
first overall selection of the
2023 Major League Baseball draft. He and
Dylan Crews became the first college teammates in MLB draft history to be selected with the first two overall picks. Skenes was the second player in LSU history to be selected first overall in the draft, joining
Ben McDonald. He signed with the Pirates on July 18, 2023, for a $9.2 million signing bonus, the highest ever for a drafted player. Skenes debuted on
MLB.com's
MLB Pipeline list as the third-ranked prospect league-wide and the top-ranked pitcher. On August 7, Skenes was assigned to the
rookie-level Florida Complex League Pirates with the expectation of limited innings due to his high usage at LSU the prior spring. He made his professional debut on August 10 and pitched a one-two-three inning against the
FCL Twins; all but one of his pitches were clocked at or higher and he struck out fellow top draft pick
Walker Jenkins. Five days later, August 15, Skenes was assigned to the
Single-A Bradenton Marauders. Just six days after that he was again promoted, to the
Double-A Altoona Curve. Skenes began the 2024 season with the
Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He pitched to a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts over innings. In his MLB debut at
PNC Park against the
Chicago Cubs that day, Skenes threw 17 fastballs at or higher and struck out seven, but surrendered three earned runs in four innings in a
no decision. In his second start, against the Cubs at
Wrigley Field on May 17, Skenes threw six innings without allowing a hit, striking out eleven batters (including the first seven batters he faced). On July 7, 2024, he was selected to the
2024 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, becoming the first No. 1 draft pick to do so as a rookie. On July 11, National League team manager
Torey Lovullo named Skenes the starting pitcher for the National League for the game, becoming the fifth rookie ever to receive the selection. Skenes threw a scoreless inning in the All-Star game, walking
Juan Soto but subsequently retiring
Aaron Judge with a groundout. On September 9 against the
Miami Marlins, Skenes struck out
Connor Norby in the top of the first inning to record his 143rd strikeout, the new Pittsburgh Pirates franchise record for strikeouts in a single season by a rookie. Skenes ended his rookie season with a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 170 strikeouts, 32 walks, and an 11–3 record in 23 starts. After the season, Skenes was named
NL Rookie of the Year and finished third for the
Cy Young Award losing to
Chris Sale of the
Atlanta Braves.
2025 On January 28, 2025, Skenes was named as one of the three cover athletes of
MLB The Show 25 alongside
Elly De La Cruz and
Gunnar Henderson, making him the first pitcher, excluding
two-way player Shohei Ohtani, to be featured on an
MLB The Show cover. On March 27, 2025, Skenes was the Opening Day starting pitcher for the
2025 Pirates. Facing the
Miami Marlins at
LoanDepot Park, he pitched five innings, giving up two hits and walking two while striking out seven. However, the Marlins scored three runs in the last two innings off of Pittsburgh's bullpen, defeating the Pirates, 5–4, and leaving Skenes with a
no decision. On April 2, 2025, he got his first win of the season against
Tampa Bay Rays, pitched seven innings, giving up three hits, and striking out six batters in a 4–2 win. On April 26, 2025, Skenes hurled 6 scoreless innings and recorded a season-high with nine strikeouts in the Pirates’ 3–0 win against the
Los Angeles Dodgers. On July 6, Skenes was named to the
2025 All-Star Game roster, his second consecutive NL All-Star selection. On July 12, National League team manager
Dave Roberts named Skenes the starting pitcher for the National League for the game, his second consecutive year to receive the selection. Skenes threw a scoreless inning in the All-Star game, striking out
Gleyber Torres and
Riley Greene and retiring Aaron Judge with a groundout. Skenes was named as
National League Pitcher of the Month for July after posting a 3–2 record, 0.67 ERA, allowing 21 hits and two earned runs, striking out 36 batters, and walked three in 27 innings. It was the first time he earned Pitcher of the Month in his career. Skenes' 50 start on August 24 against the
Colorado Rockies and he lowered his career
ERA to 2.02. Since the start of the Live Ball Era in 1920, the only pitcher to have a lower ERA over their first 50 starts is
Vida Blue, who recorded a 2.01 ERA from 1969-1972. On September 10, Skenes pitched five innings, giving up two hits, and striking out eight batters against
Baltimore Orioles at
Oriole Park at Camden Yards. With those eight Ks, Skenes recorded his first 200-strikeout season. He became the 8th Pirates pitcher in franchise history to strike out 200 batters in a season, joining
Ed Morris,
Bob Veale,
Óliver Pérez,
Mitch Keller,
A. J. Burnett,
Francisco Liriano, and
Gerrit Cole. Skenes finished the season with a 1.97 ERA, the first sub-2.00 ERA for a starting pitcher since
Justin Verlander's 1.75 ERA with the Houston Astros in 2022. He became the fourth player in the live ball era (since 1920) to record an ERA that low in his age-23 season or younger, joining
Dwight Gooden (1985 at age 20),
Vida Blue (1971, age 21), and
Dean Chance (1964, age 23). He also set a new franchise record for most strikeouts for a right-handed pitcher, now sitting at 216 after breaking Mitch Keller's record of 210.
2026 Named the opening day starter for 2026, Skenes allowed five runs in the first inning against the
New York Mets on March 26, and was relieved of duties by the bullpen after recording only two outs. However, he quickly rebounded over the next 5 starts, winning 4 decisions and lowering his ERA back to a solid 2.48, with 30 strikeouts over 29 inning of work. He was particularly dominant against the rival
Milwaukee Brewers, where he carried a
perfect game into the 7th inning, before allowing a 2 out single to
Jake Bauers. He eventually got the next out, pitching seven scoreless innings with 7 punchouts, to earn the win. ==Personal life==