BALLER MOVE: Buy Paul Skenes
ANALYSIS: Like the rest of the baseball world, fantasy managers should buy into the hype of the Pirates' top prospect, Paul Skenes. Skenes was selected first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft by Pittsburgh and quickly rose the minor league ranks over the past two seasons. The right-hander pitched at rookie ball, Single-A, and Double-A last season before getting promoted to Triple-A before the 2024 campaign.
Pitching on four days' rest for the first time as a pro, Paul Skenes had his fastball humming at 100 while giving up a run on two hits and a walk in the first.
His 4-seamers:
99.3
100.7
100.4
100.3
100.5
100.7
101.0Watch LIVE: https://t.co/aKtGFgWBY3 pic.twitter.com/xoSpVprtOI
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 5, 2024
At Triple-A this season, Skenes is completely dominating on the mound. The 21-year-old pitcher has a 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts across 27 1/3 innings pitched. It's truly unbelievable what the young pitcher is doing in the minors right now, and it's only a matter of time until he gets called up.
That's why now might be the perfect time to buy MLB Pipeline's No. 3 overall prospect in fantasy. It won't be easy to acquire him, but his value will only go up when the Pirates do eventually bring him up to the active roster. Like most rookies, Skenes will likely face some struggles along the way in the majors. However, his high strikeout numbers should make him a viable fantasy option.
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