WATCH: LSU's Paul Skenes is No. 1 pick in 2023 MLB Draft
LSU pitcher Paul Skenes spent one season in Baton Rouge, and the decision to transfer in from Air Force not only landed him a National Championship, but upped his draft stock in a major way.
On Sunday evening, Skenes was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the first player to come off the board.
Skenes is one of three LSU players expected to be drafted in Round 1 on Sunday, joining outfielder Dylan Crews and pitcher Ty Floyd.
Pauly Strikeouts. The perfect pick for the Pirates.@Paul_Skenes | 📺 @MLBNetwork pic.twitter.com/KqBByHH9Mx
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) July 9, 2023
A dominant showing during LSU’s run to a College World Series
Skenes, the 2023 Dick Howser Award winner, the D1 Baseball National Player of the Year, and the SEC Pitcher of the Year, compiled a 13-2 record and a 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings with 20 walks and an SEC-record 209 strikeouts.
He finished No. 1 in the nation in strikeouts (209), strikeouts per nine innings (15.33) and WHIP (0.75).
A product of Lake Forest, Calif., Skenes finished No. 2 in the nation in ERA (1.69), No. 3 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.45), and No. 5 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.28). He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series, as he was 1-0 in two starts with a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with two walks and 21 strikeouts.
Skenes posted a win over Tennessee (June 17) in LSU’s opening game of the CWS, working 7.2 innings and allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and 12 strikeouts. He then faced Wake Forest in the CWS semifinal round (June 22) on just four days’ rest and limited the Deacons to no runs on two hits in 8.0 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts.
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Skenes, a member of the 2023 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, pledged $10 for every strikeout he recorded this season to Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military and first responders who have died or been disabled.
Will Skenes hit and pitch in the pros?
Appearing on the KayRod Cast for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball earlier this month, Skenes said that while he focused on only pitching at LSU, he plans to get back to hitting and pitching at the MLB level.
“Absolutely,” he said of his plans to hit and pitch. “Obviously, I didn’t hit this past year, but I’ve hit. I was actually a primary hitter coming into college and then I just started pitching my senior year of high school and it kind of blossomed into what it is now. But I’m 6-foot-7 and I’ve caught my whole life. I don’t know how that totally works. But yeah, I’ve hit my whole life and obviously started pitching the last few years. I’ve done both for the past few years and want to continue to do both as long as I can.”
During his two seasons as a hitter at Air Force, Skenes had a batting average of .367, recording 24 home runs and 81 RBIs.
