Paul Skenes views Padres hitter as hardest strikeout, but Dodgers slugger the bigger danger

Since making his big league debut in May 2024, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has established himself as one of the finest starting pitchers in the major leagues.

Featuring on Wednesday's episode of "On Base", Skenes had a chat with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts. He was asked about who he thought were some of the toughest hitters to face.

Skenes named San Diego Padres infielder Luis Arraez and Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. Though Skenes agreed that Arraez was harder to strike out per se, the potential danger of getting a pitch wrong against Freeman was much greater.

"I think if we're talking about [the] toughest guy to strike out, (Luis) Arraez. For sure, doesn't matter your stuff. But, if we're talking risk-reward, which is probably more how I think about it, I would throw Freddie (Freeman) in there.

"Because, if you miss, Arraez probably isn't going to put it in the stands, but Freddie will. Yeah, Freddie's tough," Skenes said [57:45]

Paul Skenes recorded his latest quality outing against the Red Sox, set to face the Dodgers on Thursday

Having won the prestigious NL Rookie of the Year award after an incredible rookie season in 2024, Paul Skenes has taken his game to a whole new level this season.

Earning his second All-Star selection after a great first half, Skenes has continued performing just as well in the second. As the Pirates faced the red-hot Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Aug. 29, Skenes brought his A-game, pitching six innings, giving up only one earned run and striking out six.

His fantastic outing helped the Pirates win 4-2 on the night.

Paul Skenes in action against the Boston Red Sox - Source: Getty

Paul Skenes' latest outing further strengthens his case for a potential Cy Young award. Currently boasting a 9-9 record, along with a 2.05 ERA and 187 strikeouts, Skenes is currently the bookies' favorite to win the prestigious prize come November, priced at -4000 as of writing.

The ace will face off against Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman's Dodgers on Thursday, for the finale of the three-game series with the Pirates. Squaring up against him will be southpaw Blake Snell, who has also been great this season, with a 3-3 record, a 2.41 ERA and 38 strikeouts, although he has missed a chunk of the season due to injury.

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra