It’s ridiculous how much Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has already accomplished in MLB at just 23 years old. Skenes is already a Cy Young Award winner, a two-time All-Star, and a two-time All-MLB First Team selection. Skenes also won National League Rookie of the Year in 2024 and was the MLB ERA leader in 2025. Skenes’s ERA over his first 55 starts in the bigs is something to marvel at; at 1.96, it’s better than career-best 55-start spans for legends like Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson. This suggests that Skenes has the potential to become one of the greatest pitchers of all-time. After an absurd rookie season for Skenes, his 2025 campaign elevated him further: a unanimous Cy Young with a 1.97 ERA, 216 strikeouts in 187 2/3 innings, and a 0.95 WHIP that baffled hitters league-wide. Despite a 10-10 record hampered by spotty run support, his 217 ERA+ and 5.1 wins above replacement signal dominance unseen since prime-era aces. He even garnered MVP votes, finishing with 83 points. Story continues below advertisement What sets Skenes apart for eternal greatness? His arsenal: a 102-mph heater, wipeout slider, and pinpoint control. It evokes memories of Nolan Ryan’s strikeout artistry or Pedro Martinez’s surgical precision, but with modern durability. Averaging over 11 strikeouts per nine innings across 320 career frames, he boasts the raw tools and early stats (386 total Ks) to chase 3,000 strikeouts while sustaining sub-2.00 ERAs. If he stays healthy and the Pirates build around him, Skenes could etch his name among the immortals, blending unhittable velocity with Cy Young-caliber consistency for a decade-plus.