MLB insider Robert Murray: Paul Skenes has become a ‘national story’

Paul Skenes has experienced an historic first couple of months in MLB, drawing huge crowds and making headlines with every start.

Just last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie got the call to start the All-Star Game after only 11 MLB games.

In short, Skenes has become a sensation, someone who looks too good to be true. Is part of that due to media hype, the fact that Skenes is the new, shiny thing in MLB?

MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided wants to set the record straight: Skenes is the real deal.

Murray appeared this week on The Comeback’s Short and to the Point podcast. Host Jessica Kleinschmidt asked him about all the hoopla surrounding Skenes.

“Is he worth the hype?” she asked.

“Oh yeah, and then some,” Murray responded. “You see the crowds in Pittsburgh before Skenes. There were not many people there and now whenever he starts, it’s a packed crowd and there’s just a buzz in that stadium. And every time he goes out and delivers, he’s throwing 100-plus miles an hour, got that splinker that’s got hitters just buckling their knees …”

“I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a player this early on in their career dominate like this, obviously like the Stephen Strasburg hype was real when that happened. And there’s been other players who have really kind of just burst onto the scene, but I cannot recall anybody quite like Paul Skenes and there’s so much pressure on him to go out there and perform and he does it and it’s like he doesn’t even break a sweat. It’s really, it’s just impressive.”

Skenes has energized the long-discouraged Pirates fan base. Pittsburgh is in the hunt for a playoff spot, and given Skenes’ dominance, if the Pirates make the postseason, no team wants to face the hard-throwing right-hander.

“They need to go out and add another bat or two, which I expect them to do and I think they are an absolute nightmare to face in the wild-card round,” Murray said. “They are a very dangerous team and with that pitching, they can really beat anybody.”

Beyond his impact on the Pirates, Skenes is also a bright new star for baseball. It doesn’t hurt that his girlfriend, gymnast/influencer Olivia Dunne, has a social media following in the millions.

“I think he’s making baseball sexy,” Kleinschmidt said, “and that’s not just because of his beautiful girlfriend, but I think he’s also making it where people are paying attention a lot more because of the era and the social media aspect involved for him.

“Oh absolutely,” Murray agreed. “Like there’s so much attention both in baseball and just nationally because he’s become a national story and there’s people who have not watched baseball who are watching baseball just to see Paul Skenes dominate these teams.”

But Murray, like many others in the MLB world, is already eyeing the inevitable future day when Skenes becomes eligible for free agency. The small-market Pirates will be unable — or unwilling — to retain his services, and Murray wonders what the future holds for the ace.

“I’m already wondering in my head what his eventual contract whenever he reaches free agency looks like,” Murray said. “Because, I mean, obviously predicting that way into the future. You don’t know what those contracts are gonna look like at this point. But if he stays healthy, we’re talking about what is very likely going to be the biggest contract for a pitcher in baseball history.

“It is going to be ridiculous.”

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