Pittsburgh Review

During the recent GM Meetings in San Antonio, Pittsburgh Pirates' General Manager Ben Cherington addressed how the team plans to capitalize on pitcher Paul Skenes' prime years. The focus, according to Cherington, remains on player development. “We need to continue to get more out of the players we have, including that guy you’re talking about,” he said. “Our young pitching is the backbone of the team, and we feel like all those guys have another level that they’re capable of.”

The Pirates are building around a promising pitching trio: Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Jared Jones. Each has areas for improvement identified for the upcoming season.

For Jared Jones, adding a reliable third pitch is crucial. He primarily uses a four-seam fastball and slider but experimented with his curveball late last season. “I think the scouting report is fastball-slider," Jones remarked about his approach.

Mitch Keller aims to maintain his fastball velocity throughout the season. His performance dipped when his average speed decreased from 95.1 mph earlier in the year to 93.8 mph by September. Reflecting on his season, Keller noted both positives and areas needing improvement: “There's definitely a lot of highlights up there and definitely a lot of lowlights.”

Paul Skenes seeks greater efficiency despite an impressive past season with a sub-2 ERA. "I think there's some low-hanging fruit for me to be better next year,” Skenes mentioned after completing his final start.

As these pitchers work on their respective goals, they form a key part of the Pirates' strategy moving forward.