Because of his strength and ability to throw strikes whenever he wants, Paul Skenes has a case for being the best starting pitcher in baseball. He is one of MLB’s top distance openers, thanks to his talent for hitting the zone.
Before facing the Chicago Cubs on Friday, Skenes had tossed 91.0 innings in 14 starts, going 7.0 or more innings five times and reaching 8.0 innings twice. In his most recent start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, he pitched 7.2 innings with only one run allowed.
So, what is the mantra behind being one of the best on the mound?
Paul Skenes’ Winning Mantra Against MLB’s Best Hitters
In a recent conversation with the Slab Lab show, Skenes talked about having faith in what he has, regardless of the opposition. “It’s probably about 70% my stuff versus 30% their weaknesses. I have backed up a lot in my scouting since I was in college. Cause I’ve learned it doesn’t change as much you think it does, in terms of how you go about pitching.”
“It’s probably about 70% my stuff versus 30% their weaknesses.”
Paul Skenes talks trusting what he has regardless of the opponent 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZKxCewaXZ6
— Slab Lab (@slablabshow) June 13, 2025
Skenes’ life is at its peak, except for the win-loss column. Not only is he perhaps the most formidable pitcher in the game, but he also has a million-dollar card and is dating gymnast-influencer Livvy Dunne, his college sweetheart.
Since his June 13 shutout of the Cubs, Skenes has a 1.78 ERA and 0.85 WHIP (walks plus hits per nine innings). The numbers are considerably worse for his last seven games: 0.76 in every department!
You have the makings of a clear Cy Young Award winner when you combine it with 97 strikeouts in just 96 innings. Actually, just two obstacles are preventing the young Pirates star from winning the trophy. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the New York Mets’ Kodai Senga are both having fast, award-worthy seasons, which is the first thing standing in the way of a Skenes Cy Young season.
Senga would probably win if voting were to take place today. Skenes, however, appears to be improving with each start. If you think that Skenes would have a Cy Young season, the second reason is that it would be almost unheard of. Only once in history has a pitcher won both the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons, and that was forty years ago! It was Dr. K, a.k.a. legendary Mets prodigy Dwight Gooden.
Skenes’ card values would undoubtedly increase if he were to win the 2025 National League Cy Young Award, though it’s difficult to predict how much.
However, the course of Gooden’s career (and card values!) also serves as a warning. In actuality, his 1984 ROY and 1985 CYA seasons turned out to be his two best, despite collectors at the time viewing them as a hopeful preview of how outstanding his Hall of Fame career would be.