Paul Skenes is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Born on May 29, 2002, in Fullerton, California, he played college baseball for both the Air Force Falcons and the LSU Tigers. Skenes was selected first overall by the Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in May 2024.
In his rookie season, Skenes posted an impressive 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts over 23 starts, earning the National League Rookie of the Year award and finishing third in Cy Young voting.
Recently, a unique Paul Skenes rookie card sold for $1.1 million at auction, surpassing his 2025 salary.