Among the 2026 MLB season’s many fascinating storylines, arguably the most intriguing is seeing Paul Skenes, Shohei Ohtani, and several of the game’s top players look surprisingly human.
Ohtani’s days as a two-way unicorn might be numbered amid his recent knee troubles. Aaron Judge hasn’t played in nearly three months because of a rib injury, and the previously projected return in August is all but dead. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has lost his home run stroke, and perennial MVP candidate Mookie Betts is battling through the worst season of his future Hall of Fame career.
Then there’s Skenes, who spent his first two years lighting up radar guns and emerging among the key faces of baseball’s next generation. Sure, his relationship with Livvy Dunne may have brought new fans the way that Taylor Swift did for Travis Kelce, but Skenes quickly proved that he was worth the hype.
Thus far, though, he’s been a shell of his former self, and it’s officially time for the Pittsburgh Pirates to be concerned.
Why has Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes had a poor 2026 season?
Skenes again failed to make it out of the fifth inning on Wednesday, allowing three runs and four walks in a 4-3 victory over the Tigers. His ERA is still a tick under 4.00, and he’s only two walks away from a new career-worst.
“I think there’s been a lot of good,” Skenes nonetheless told reporters. “I think there’s some stuff, the walks. It’s frustrating. Nobody wants to go out there and walk anybody. Nobody’s trying to.”
The big talking point around Skenes is his diminished velocity, and he’s averaging roughly 97 mph on his fastball. But the issues are far deeper than that, because we know solely off the eye test that the best pitchers find ways to get outs even if it means relying more on the off-speed pitches.
Traditional numbers, and those backed up by indisputable facts, remain a reliable option when used correctly. Let’s use Skenes as an example. Opponents are hitting .229 off him with a .668 OPS against him, significantly above the .193 and .555 he allowed in his first 320 ⅔ innings. But his 29.8% strikeout rate is right in line with last year's, so he hasn’t regressed in that department.
However, Skenes’ walk rate is where some of the issues really arise. He’s walking hitters at a 7.2% clip, way up from last year’s 5.7% average. It’s not like he’s working with an entirely new battery, as Henry Davis remains the Pirates’ starting catcher, though he’s a lifetime .178 hitter with a .559 OPS in four seasons. Skenes might want to prepare for a different face behind the plate next season.
Neither the Pirates nor Skenes has indicated that he is injured. Without speculating too much, it’s simply unclear what’s gone wrong for Skenes, which in itself is troubling. But as he said, he sees a “lot of good” in his recent outings despite failing to complete six innings in any of his last five starts.
Between Skenes and Cal Raleigh, maybe there was something in the World Baseball Classic water that has led Team USA players to live in a fantasy world.
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