Paul Skenes faced velocity drops and mechanical struggles during a 2026 campaign that followed his dominant Cy Young seasons.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes finished the 2026 Major League Baseball season with a 10-11 record and a 3.82 ERA, marking a steep climb from sub-2.00 ERAs in each of his previous two years.
World Baseball Classic Impact
Skenes pointed to his participation in the World Baseball Classic as a factor that altered his preparation. Ramping up too quickly for the international tournament affected his mechanics and fastball velocity, causing his heater to drop from 98.1 mph last season to 96.8 mph in 2026.
“When you go outing to outing, you don’t really see the big picture sometimes. And I think looking back, I can kind of see it now,” said Paul Skenes in September. “Because early in the season, you can get away with stuff mechanically or you might not be moving perfectly, but you’re fresh and the [velocity] is there because you’re feeling good.”
Front Office Confidence
While outside analysts questioned the right-hander’s drop in effectiveness, team leadership expressed full backing for the 24-year-old ace. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that the young pitcher will apply the lessons from his recent struggles to his upcoming preparation.
“Paul will take everything that happened in 2026, and he’ll learn from that,” said Ben Cherington (via MLB.com’s Jason Mackey). “He still had a really good year. I believe he’s very motivated to be even better in 2027. We know what he’s capable of doing.”
Rotation Leadership
Skenes remains the anchor of a pitching staff aiming to return the franchise to the postseason for the first time since 2015. Although missing out on the playoffs left the young star frustrated, he maintained that major changes are unnecessary for the upcoming year.
“We are in a good position for next year. I know that,” Skenes said after his final start of the season. “But it’s going to be tough to think like that again for the whole offseason. … I don’t think there’s anything that needs to be completely overhauled.”
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