skenes-usatsi.png
USATSI

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected LSU right-hander Paul Skenes with the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball's amateur draft on Sunday night. Skenes was the first pitcher chosen. 

Skenes was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the class by CBS Sports last month. Here's what we wrote at the time:

Skenes is an imposing figure with upper-90s velocity and a strikeout rate near 48% against SEC hitters. Those within the industry are convinced that ball-tracking data has improved their ability to evaluate pitches. Those advancements have made Skenes a divisive figure, with scouts and analysts who spoke to CBS Sports expressing reservations about his fastball shape. The short version is that his four-seamer features minimal separation between its induced vertical break and its horizontal break, putting it in the "dead zone." The fear is Skenes' four-seamer will play down as a result, causing him to underperform draft night expectations. Consider Nathan Eovaldi, another big-armed righty with minimal separation; prior to this year, opponents had hit .300 or better against his fastball in three consecutive seasons. Skenes' velocity may mitigate some of the effect, and it's possible his employer will help him find a better shape, or will have him shift to his sinker (his current one features more run than Dustin May's). Factor in the probabilistic analysis argument that arises whenever a pitcher is part of a class loaded with good hitters, and that's why he's lower than you might have expected, even if he still goes No. 2.

Skenes was a star for LSU and helped the Tigers win the 2023 Men's College World Series.

You can follow along with all of CBS Sports' live draft coverage by clicking here.