There is a lot that's gone wrong for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, and there's a lot that has gone right. But the most polarizing figure for the team this year has been Paul Skenes. Coming off winning the NL Cy Young last season, Skenes has regressed and is no longer a top-tier pitcher. His velocity is down, his accuracy has diminished, and there are some real concerns about his ability going forward. This season for Skenes, even with an All-Star nod and overall not-terrible numbers, has Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report naming Skenes as one of MLB's biggest disappointments this season. "
Hard to justify putting him in the top 10 when he was still an All-Star and has still been one of Pittsburgh's five most valuable players this season," Miller writes. " But Skenes' regression from 'Elite' to 'Meh' over the past three months has become an inescapable narrative. " Pirates fans have likely grown concerned about Skenes amid his struggles lately. Even though he has 2.0 bWAR this year with a 3.95 ERA in 139 innings pitched, his recent production has been worrying.
Since the start of July, Skenes has gone 46 innings, allowing a 5.67 ERA with 21 walks to 57 strikeouts. In his last 17 outings, his 5.06 ERA is also concerningly high. Calling Skenes, whose season-long numbers aren't all that bad, a disappointment might seem odd. But considering that he was the NL Cy Young last year, his 2026 production is significantly worse than anticipated. There are plenty of other players in baseball who are bigger disappointments than Skenes, but he's still disappointed this season and is someone Pirates fans should be a little bit worried about.
Even though Skenes hasn't been terrible this season by any means, the drop-off from a Cy Young ace, maybe the best pitcher in baseball, to just a solid starter is a major regression for Skenes. Considering how he began his career, with back-to-back seasons under 2.00 ERA, his 2026 production is hard to see as anything other than a major disappointment I get it, but I also think it's fair to say he'll be more than fine.
