Paul Skenes Attributes Velocity Drop to World Baseball Classic Participation
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes believes his early-season participation in the World Baseball Classic impacted his velocity and overall performance.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has identified his involvement in the World Baseball Classic as a primary reason for a dip in his velocity and a subsequently frustrating season. Skenes suggested that the tournament, held in March, disrupted his typical preparation and ramping-up process.
"There are a lot of other factors, so I don’t want to put everything on that," Skenes told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "But I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit. It definitely affected the year. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one."
Skenes pitched 8 1/3 innings over two starts for Team USA in the WBC, allowing one earned run. He explained that while pitchers often experience a slower start to the season, his usual progression of increasing velocity from, for example, 97 mph to 98 or 99 mph did not occur this year. "Looking back I don’t think that really helped," he stated.
Despite these challenges, Skenes has still produced a 3.91 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and recorded 192 strikeouts in 168 innings pitched. However, these numbers fall short of the expectations set by his prior accolades, including the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year and 2025 NL Cy Young awards.
The absence of a similar international tournament in the upcoming year is expected to allow Skenes to follow his normal offseason and preparation schedule, which could be crucial for the Pirates' playoff aspirations in the following season.