Outside of Aaron Rodgers, the most significant story in Pittsburgh is the sudden downfall of Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Pirates fans spent over two years preparing for an inevitable Skenes trade, but now those in the Steel City sound open to seeing such a move before things get worse. The reigning NL Cy Young winner allowed five runs and three walks in Tuesday’s thrilling 13-12 victory over the Giants, pushing his ERA up to 3.97.
Skenes’ walk rate has skyrocketed to 7.1 percent, and opponents have a .671 OPS against the three-time All-Star. Keep in mind that he limited hitters to a .198 average and a .555 OPS in his first 320.2 innings. Baseball Savant estimates that his fastball velocity has dropped from 98.1 mph to 96.8, and there’s no indication that he’s hurt.
So what’s going on with Skenes? The latest theory is understandably causing mixed opinions on social media.
Pirates media members make disparaging comments about Paul Skenes weight
As Skenes’ summer struggles have continued, some have suggested that his weight is a problem. MLB content creator Dan Clark argued that the diminished velocity is a byproduct of his size, and Pirates radio analyst Dan Zangrilli didn’t hold back on the topic following a July 31 start.
“The ace didn’t ace,” Zangrilli said. “Far more questions than answers. For any of this to work, he has to. He looks like an out-of-shape, lumbering yeti sucking wind on a hot day.”
Officially, the Pirates list Skenes at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds. Don’t read too much into the number, partly because of his height. Aaron Judge is 6-foot-7 and roughly 282 pounds, and no one is concerned about his weight.
There have been no credible reports that the Pirates are concerned about Skenes’ weight or conditioning. Zangrilli’s comments were nonetheless telling because, even if his paycheck might not directly come from the Pirates, he made those remarks on the team’s official radio postgame show.
Stop body shaming Paul Skenes
External doubt or questions about someone’s weight lead to uncomfortable conversations. Football fans might remember Albert Haynesworth, a standout defensive tackle who infamously showed up to Redskins training camp in 2010 overweight and out of shape. He repeatedly failed the team’s conditioning test for over a week, and he even took a bathroom break during one attempt.
Luckily for the Pirates, Skenes isn’t close to that point. He more or less looks the same, and he threw six shutout innings against the Padres on Aug. 25. So it’s not like he’s out of breath every time he lifts his arm after a warm-up pitch.
And to be clear, I’m not trying to body-shame Skenes. I spent much of my childhood and young adulthood as a larger individual, and my weight skyrocketed during the pandemic. Thankfully, I’ve since dropped all of the excess weight and have remained at a healthy size since 2022, when I weighed in under 200 pounds for the first time in at least a decade. As I write this, I’m in a size small T-shirt and pants.
As of publication, the Pirates have not announced whether they’ll end Skenes’ season early. Pittsburgh entered Thursday at 68-72 and 5.5 games behind Arizona for the NL’s third and final Wild Card spot. Skenes is a free agent after the 2030 season, when he'll have this and plenty else to consider before leaving the Pirates organization. Let's all keep that in mind.
Add us as a preferred source on Google