Pirates icon Andrew McCutchen lays out vision for Paul Skenes’ career

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen shared his candid thoughts on teammate Paul Skenes, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year. McCutchen, who has spent a significant portion of his career with the Pirates and earned several accolades, praised the young pitcher’s potential.

Paul Skenes began his MLB career with the Pirates last year, delivering a stellar rookie season. On the JM Baseball podcast, McCutchen joined host Chris Rose to discuss Skenes’ future (15:08):

“He's gonna be real rich one day. He's gonna make a lot of money. He's gonna make a lot. I know ultimately it ain't what it's always about, but you can't help but think about it. Especially all these dudes sign these huge deals, man.”

“Like, he's going to be able to get a blank check. So I'm here to see it. I can't wait to see it. I hope he does well. I hope he does things that you've never seen in this game before for the years to come. I hope he's able to be this unicorn in pitching to where he's throwing up numbers we've never seen before.”

Expressing hope that Skenes will remain with the Pittsburgh Pirates long-term, McCutchen added:

“I also hope that he's able to do it here and we're able to win with him here. And I hope I can be a part of it, and I ain't going to be here much longer. So, got to do it real soon, so I'm here for it.”

Paul Skenes made his MLB debut in May 2024 and started 23 games for the Pirates, finishing his rookie season with an impressive 1.96 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP.

---

Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen discusses unique quality that sets Paul Skenes’ apart

Andrew McCutchen also opened up about what sets Paul Skenes apart from others:

“Thing that makes him stand out. I think it's it's his work ethic behind what he does. I think what people don't see, and sometimes they may see it a little bit, man, he's constantly challenging himself to be better. Now, with that, there does come a little bit of all right, you don't always have to overdo it, but that comes with time, like anything.

“He's only competing with himself. He's not competing with anything else. And when you're that good, that's what you do. You challenge yourself. You compete with yourself. You set standards and goals for yourself. So you're trying to constantly like top what you've already done."

In the 2025 season, Paul Skenes has pitched in seven games for the Pirates, posting a 3-3 record with a 2.74 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP over 42.2 innings.