Paul Skenes sent a message in his final start of 2024

May 29, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the second inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes certainly seemed to be sending a message in his abbreviated outing at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

The Pirates limited Skenes to two innings against the New York Yankees in his final start of 2024, but that was more than enough time for him to make a final statement to NL Rookie of the Year voters. The young ace pitched two scoreless innings and faced the minimum while striking out three.

Two of those strikeouts, however, were Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, and Skenes completely dusted them.

Skenes is locked in what is expected to be a very tight Rookie of the Year race with San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill. Saturday’s outing means he finishes the year with an 11-3 record and a 1.96 ERA to go with 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. The limited innings count might hurt his case as the Pirates called him up late, but he was so dominant that might not matter. If Merrill was not a factor, he would almost certainly be a runaway winner.

The question going forward is whether the Pirates will really unleash Skenes next season, or if, as one MLB legend fears , they will continue to be very conservative with his workload.

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