MLBits: Paul Skenes Could Make His MLB Debut Any Day (But Probably Won't), Wesneski's Wild Wednesday, Houck's Maddux, More (2024)

If you’re into tracking young pitchers with star potential like I am—as I watch Jack Leiter’s debut while typing this column—then you’re probably itching to see Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes make his way to Pittsburgh sooner than later. While he’s undoubtedly “ready,” the Pirates are taking the safe approach with him, so we pitching nerds will have to be patient.

The Pirates have an extra year of service time with Paul Skenes, so his MLB arrival could (and should) be any day now, but it probably won’t.

Paul Skenes’ service time has been manipulated, so there’s no reason for the Pirates to keep him in Triple-A any longer. Skenes—the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft—has shown in Triple-A this season that he’s ready to get the call to Pittsburgh. The Pirates also have a hole in their rotation with Marco Gonzales on the injured list.

Skenes has yet to allow a run in three outings with Triple-A Indianapolis and has racked up 19 strikeouts in nine and a third innings of work. He was limited to three innings in his first two outings and given a little more leash in his third, which could indicate a more extended arrival ETA for Skenes. The Pirates could use him right now, as they’ve come back down to earth a bit after a red-hot start to the season.

“With Paul, we’ve been very intentional about how we’re building his volume coming into the season with a goal of really accomplishing two things,” said general manager Ben Cherington during his 93.7 The Fan radio show Sunday. “One is to try to get him to an appropriate total volume for 2024 coming off last year, when he pitched a full college season and then just a little bit of pro ball.

“We don’t want to go from zero to 100 right away. Paul’s so important to us long term, so we want to be really thoughtful about that.”

The Pirates have taken a similar path with Jared Jones, whom they’ve limited to five innings per start this season. So, perhaps they will keep Skenes in Triple-A while they build him up to five innings and then deploy that restriction upon him in the majors.

This terrific thread from Adam Naliwajko shows that Skenes is ready for the next level today. But the Pirates know what an exceptional talent they have on their hands with Skenes, and they seem determined to slow roll his build-up and limit his innings this season, regardless of the level of play. Skenes could come up any day now, but I would expect to see him make a few more starts in Triple-A before making his MLB debut sometime in mid-to-late May.

How cool was the story of Hayden Wesneski’s wild Wednesday?

Cubs skipper Craig Counsell called Hayden Wesneski’s four-inning relief outing in Arizona on Wednesday the best pitching performance the team has received all season. “It was probably our best pitching performance of the year.”

Considering the extra workload the bullpen has dealt with this season, especially recently, it’s easy to understand why Counsell feels that way about Wesneski’s stellar outing that followed back-to-back extra innings affairs in Arizona.

With the bullpen taxed, the Cubs called up Wesneski and Colten Brewer from Triple-A Iowa in the wee hours of Wednesday. The duo flew from Iowa to Chicago and then Chicago to Arizona, arriving at the ballpark two hours before first pitch. Wesneski said after the game on Wednesday that he slept when he could on his two flights after receiving the middle-of-the-night notification that he was heading to Arizona to help the Cubs bullpen.

“So yesterday, normal day in Iowa with the I-Cubs, we won in the 9th inning or whatever. As I go about my day, we had a day game today in Des Moines. And at 1 a.m., my roommate, Matt Mervis, is knocking on my door, and Matt’s like, hey, you need to call Marty Pevey, the manager for Triple-A. I go, “Okay.” So I go get my phone; it’s missed calls, text messages, or whatever. I call Marty at 1 a.m., and he says, ‘Hey buddy, you’re going to the big leagues.’ I was like (laughing), ‘Okay, I need to get my things together then.’

“So I packed for an hour, tried to get some sleep, and didn’t. My girlfriend is in town; she didn’t sleep either….So Colten Brewer and I leave at 4 a.m. to get to the airport in Des Moines. We fly to Chicago because they don’t have any direct flights (to Arizona). Chicago to here (Arizona). I get here an hour and a half before the game. And I threw.”

Wesneski rode his four-seamer and sweeper into the ninth inning before Counsell went to Drew Smyly for the final two outs, logging four innings and helping the Cubs secure a series victory in Arizona. That’s a fun story about the trials and tribulations of a minor-league baseball player.

Hayden Wesneski, Wicked Sweepers. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/N3Kz9aKhpB

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 17, 2024

The Orioles still can’t stop hitting home runs!

We discussed the power surge that the Baltimore Orioles have been riding of late yesterday, and shortly after that story ran, they continued to launch home runs at Camden Yards. Cedric Mullins’ two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against Twins reliever Griffin Jax was not only a walk-off game-winner (their third of the season), it was the third Baltimore long ball of the afternoon.

The Orioles also got home runs from Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander on Wednesday, marking the fifth straight game in which the O’s have hit three-plus homers, tied for the second-longest streak in MLB since 1900 behind the 1987 Orioles, who did it in six straight games from May 8-13 that year.

Baltimore has an MLB-best 30 home runs this season and an AL-best 104 runs scored.

“One through nine, we’ve got a really good lineup each and every day and have the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, too,” said first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. “It’s a lot of fun to be a part of — and watch, too.”

Indeed, it is a lot of fun to watch.

CEDRIC MULLINS WALK-OFF HOMER! pic.twitter.com/stkwaUayJj

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 17, 2024

Extra Innings