LSU Legend Gets Major League Call-Up, Set to Make 1st Start Saturday

The word 'legend' gets thrown around a lot. Being good at what you do doesn't make you a legend, that makes you good at your job. To be a legend, you have to go well above good and be something more. And Paul Skenes definitely earned the title of legend during his time at Louisiana State University.

He broken Ben McDonald's long standing SEC & LSU single season strike out record. He won National Pitcher of the Year. He won the Dick Howser Trophy. He was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player. He became the second LSU player to be selected first in the MLB draft (the first since Ben McDonald was selected 1/1 by the Orioles in 1989). Oh, and he's the top rated pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg. So, the guy is the definition of a college legend.

With that said, just because you're a legend at the College level, that doesn't mean you're going to be a great or legendary player in the majors. As much as I personally love Ben McDonald, he never quite lived up to the hype. Todd Walker had a good MLB career, but wasn't exactly legendary. You just never know how guys will turn out when they get on the big stage. But, some guys end up living up to the hype or over delivering. Immediately, former LSU Tiger Aaron Nola comes to mind. He's been an All-Star and tied Tom Seaver's record for most consecutive strikeouts in a game.

What will Paul Skenes do at the pro level? Only time will tell, but we're going to get our first look at him in a Pirates Uniform this weekend.

Former LSU Tiger Paul Skenes Gets Major League Call-Up

Skenes has absolutely DOMINATED at the minor league level. The 6-6, 235 pound pitcher never picked up a win in the minors (mostly because the Pirates didn't let him pitch beyond the 4th inning), but in 34 innings he racked up 55 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.85. Which is pretty damn impressive, at any professional level.

And now, he's going to be joining the Pirates big league club and is scheduled to start Saturday at home in Pittsburgh against the Chicago Cubs.

What Does Paul Skenes Bring to the Major Leagues?

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The kid has GREAT stuff. 100+ mph 4-seam fastball. 95+ mph sinker. And rounds out his bag with a quality slider, change-up and curveball. If he can locate, he's going to keep hitters from making quality contact against him. He definitely has all the tools to be a big league success.

The biggest question, and probably why the Pirates have handled him with kids gloves thus far, is can he stay healthy? As I mentioned earlier in the post, many experts compare him to Stephen Strausburg & Mark Prior. Which, stuff wise, is pretty elite company. The problem is both of those guys had potential hall of fame careers cut-short by injuries. Basically, both guys ripped their arms apart because their stuff was so good.

For every Nolan Ryan, there's dozens of pitching prospects that fall short of expectations due to injury. At this point, after scouring the internet for Skenes injury history, nothing popped up. However, between college & the minors, he's only thrown 277 innings. That's over 4 seasons. At the big league level, he's probably going to need to throw a minimum of 170 innings every year. Will his body be able to handle the work load? We're going to find out pretty darn quick.