Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes recorded two strikeouts in pitching a pair of scoreless innings Sunday in his second Single-A start.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, threw 19 of his 28 pitches for strikes for the Low-A Bradenton Marauders against the Lakeland Flying Tigers at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.
The first two runners Skenes faced reached base without getting a hit. Skenes struck out the leadoff batter, but Jim Jarvis reached on a wild pitch. Max Anderson reached on an error by first baseman Omar Alfonzo. Skenes recovered to strand both runners, striking out Mike Rothenberg on a 90.6 mph sinker, getting Jose De La Cruz to fly out to right and Manuel Sequera to line out to second.
Skenes recorded a 1-2-3 second inning, getting David Smith to fly out to right, Abel Bastidas to ground out to first and Sergio Tapia to pop out to third in foul territory.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Skenes, who threw 122 2/3 innings for LSU, is expected to throw a maximum of 20 innings in the Pirates’ system this season.
