It is a grand honor to be the starting pitcher in the MLB All-Star Game. Most of the greats did it: Bob Gibson, Roger Clemens, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Johnson, Tom Seaver, Jim Palmer, Sandy Koufax -- everyone you’d expect.
But it’s about more than just making history. It means something in the moment. In one of baseball’s signature events, it’s you, the starting pitcher, who stands out on the mound facing the best hitters for the whole world to see. One of the most famous moments in All-Star Game history was when Pedro Martinez struck out Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Jeff Bagwell in the 1999 All-Star Game. Martinez was a Hall of Famer who had so many incredible moments in his career. But that’s the one everyone remembers the most. You want your biggest stars facing your biggest stars.
There may be no bigger star right now, at least on the pitcher’s mound, than Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes. He has been incredible since debuting in May, but he has been more than that: He has been electric to watch, the sort of talent who brings in casual fans as well as the diehards. You can’t take your eyes off him.
As we approach the selection of the All-Star Game starters, the question of whether Skenes should start the All-Star Game in Arlington on July 16 keeps popping up, particularly in a game that will be missing some of its biggest stars due to injury. And while there are certainly arguments to be made on the other side, the view here is that Skenes has to be the guy. The game would be better -- maybe even great -- with him on the hill to start. Here’s why.
1. He deserves it
This is the easiest one. In his nine starts so far in the big leagues, Skenes has established himself, quite simply, as one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’s 4-0. His team is 6-3 when he starts. He has a 2.06 ERA. He has a 34.2% strikeout rate and a 4.9% walk rate, with MLB’s second-largest gap between those figures (minimum 50 innings). He gives up, on average, about five hits a start. He has five different pitches and they’re all great. He, almost singlehandedly, makes the Pirates a team anyone would be terrified to face in the playoffs. He has been incredible, and he has been incredible immediately.
2. It’ll be the grandest possible exposure for him
Skenes is fascinating to watch, and it’s not the mustache. He has such casual mastery, already, that it’s transfixing. How is he this good, this fast? But so far, Skenes has yet to have the national stage all to himself. He plays for the Pirates, who have a fervid fanbase but have not been in the national spotlight for a while -- particularly with the team’s struggles. Skenes hasn’t pitched in a game in which his team is over .500 yet. People have been watching, but not enough people have been watching. There will be a lot of people watching the All-Star Game. This is precisely the sort of talent you want to show off.
3. It will get people excited
Skenes isn’t just one of the best pitchers in the sport: He’s already one of the most popular. He has a massive social media following, albeit one that pales in comparison to that of his girlfriend, the social media star (and championship gymnast) Olivia Dunne. Skenes brings with him all sorts of off-field interest, even from people who aren’t instantly predisposed to run out and watch a baseball game. No offense to, say, Ranger Suárez, who is having an outstanding season, but the Phillies left-hander isn’t going to be a TikTok meme or a trending topic when he throws his first All-Star Game pitch. Skenes absolutely will. You know it always feels like a bigger deal when Justin Verlander pitches and his wife, Kate Upton, is there, live streaming the whole thing? Now imagine that, except everyone is a decade or a decade and a half younger. And even your casual fan who’s not on social media can’t help but be intrigued by Skenes. He will turn the All-Star Game into an even bigger event than it already is.
4. He loves the biggest of stages
Even though Skenes hasn’t thrown that many “important” games for the Pirates just yet, he certainly is no stranger to big games on grand stages: He is only a year removed from winning the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series for LSU, and it’s not like he looked particularly nervous taking the mound in his MLB debut either. And what might be most fun about him? He’s cocky or, at the very least, self-assured. He will want this big stage. If anything, he has the vibe of a guy who thinks other people should be nervous.
5. Imagine who he might face
The thing that made that Pedro moment so indelible was not just that he was so great: It was the greatness of the hitters he was facing. It meant so much more to see him doing it against the best of the best. Well, you want the best of the best? How about a first inning in which Skenes faces off against, say, Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge? How about with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and José Ramírez right behind them? If you have Skenes pitching in a game like this, you want him doing it against the most formidable hitters in the game. Skenes vs. Judge? C’mon, who doesn’t want to see that? And the only way we get that is if he starts the game. A late-game relief appearance would have no guarantee of such juicy head-to-head battles.
Sorry, Suárez, you’ve had a great first half. But doesn’t it have to be Skenes?