Pirates GM-Skenes won’t be limited to innings number this season

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s exactly what Pirates fans, beyond that, the Pirates coaching staff and players, wanted to hear from Pirates general manager Ben Cherington during his show on 93.7 The Fan and the Pirates Radio Network early Sunday afternoon.

Cherington said it’s going to be about how he’s performing, not an innings limit on Paul Skenes this year.

“That’s going to tell us more than anything, more than a single innings number will, just how they are doing,” Cherington said. “How their pitches are holding up. How the command is holding up and how the recovery is going in-between starts. We will use that to guide us down the stretch.”

“It wouldn't surprise me if at some point, whether it’s a game with a big lead or otherwise, we maybe pick a spot to lower a pitch count one time, just give him a little more freedom of recovery.”

What has stood out to Cherington is how strong Skenes is and that along with his mindset will put him in a position where he can handle a volume that could run through September and potentially longer. The Bucs GM also notes with the competitiveness of Skenes, he has no doubt he will do what he needs to be ready.

Often compared by sports media and fans, Cherington doesn’t know if Skenes is Sidney Crosby in terms of his focus on the sport just because he doesn’t know the Penguins future Hall of Famer, but he says he has seen the great ones and how they act.

“They have to embrace who they are,” Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan and the Pirates Radio Network. “They have to embrace the role they have on the team and in baseball and what is going to come along with that. Of course, a lot of people are interested in them, that’s what you want.”

“The great ones can accommodate that, spend time on that and then also be really disciplined when it is time to say no. I’ve got to get my work done today. Be a little bit selfish in certain parts of the day to go out and do what he wants to go on the field.”

Basically, it’s managing the entertainment aspect of the game while still focusing on what he needs to do as a player.
Just 22-years-old, it seems Skenes as a good handle on it.