Pirates rookie superstar caps off historic July with national recognition

It has been a rapid ascent to superstardom for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes.

From winning the 2023 College World Series, to being the number-one pick in the Major League Baseball Draft, to starting the All-Star Game after just 11 big-league starts, seemingly nothing can slow Skenes down.

In July, Skenes reached new heights, pitching to a 1.59 ERA in four starts while limiting opposing hitters to a .137 batting average. He also reached 100 career strikeouts in just his 13th start, becoming the sixth pitcher of all time to achieve the mark that quickly.

But if starting the All-Star Game wasn't enough for Skenes, the recognition he received on Thursday may take the cake. Skenes was awarded the playful "Pitch Hand" award on MLB Network Thursday morning.

Host Dan O'Dowd, a former MLB general manager who covers the MLB Draft for the network, said he knew Skenes was special long before he debuted with the Pirates.

"Best pitching prospect in the history of the draft," O'Dowd said. "There's been no one like him."

The Pitch Hand is a monthly honor given out by the hosts of MLB Central, commemorating the single pitcher in MLB who "kept his pitch hand oh-so-strong." Previous recipients this season were Shota Imanaga, Luis Gil, and Garrett Crochet.

While the award is presented in a somewhat humorous manner, given that the recipient receives a small plastic trophy of a hand giving the thumbs-up sign, it is also a significant achievement.

Whereas the MLB Pitcher of the Month award has a recipient in both leagues each month, there is only one Pitch Hand winner across the league. This month, Skenes' star shone brighter than all the rest.

While national recognition is always nice, the real prize for Skenes this season would be helping the Pirates make the playoffs. Pittsburgh sits 2.5 games out of Wild Card position with 54 contests left to play.

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