Pirates’ rookies shining in the spotlight

They look like baseball’s odd couple when standing side by side at their lockers in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse, as Jared Jones has flowing hair, a trimmed beard and appears a shade below his listed 6-foot-1, Paul Skenes has a cropped cut, distinctive mustache and looks every bit of 6-6, 260 pounds.

Don’t let their contrasting appearances fool you. Oscar Madison and Felix Unger they are not.

“We’re basically the same person, if I’m being perfectly honest,” Jones said. “We have a job to do and we’re just doing it to the best of our capabilities, making sure our bodies are feeling good every single day and getting ready to get after it.”

Jones and Skenes are the talk of the baseball world, a pair of 22-year-old rookie right-handed pitchers who have thrown triple-digit fastballs, recorded double-digit strikeouts and turned their starts into must-watch moments for a team Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley once dubbed a “hodgepodge of nothingness” only two years ago.

Their early success this season has drawn major media attention to Jones and Skenes, even though they only pitched in a combined 13 career games heading into their scheduled back-to-back starts Tuesday and Wednesday at the Detroit Tigers.

Jones and Skenes have made individual guest appearances on MLB Network, The Pat McAfee Show and Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney on ESPN and the Foul Territory podcast that features former major league catcher A.J. Pierzynski, creating a buzz beyond Pittsburgh.

“Ya think?” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, with a laugh. “I think it’s really good for our franchise. … I do think that that notoriety for our club is important.”

Where Jones shined in spring training to earn a spot in the Opening Day starting rotation and had 10 strikeouts in his major league debut March 30 at Miami, Skenes started the season at Triple-A Indianapolis to methodically build up his pitch count before making the most anticipated debut for a No. 1 overall draft pick since Stephen Strasburg.

Both have been described as electric. Jones (3-4, 3.05 ERA) is averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings and has seven quality starts in 10 outings, despite giving up as many home runs (10) as walks. Skenes topped 100-mph on his four-seam fastball 17 times in his debut, then fanned the first seven batters he faced on his way to 11 strikeouts in six no-hit innings in his second career start, against the Chicago Cubs on May 17 at Wrigley Field.

The emergence of Jones and Skenes has turned a Pirates starting rotation that was a major offseason concern into the team’s greatest strength, with 27 quality starts through the first 54 games, while overshadowing a magnificent May by All-Star right-hander Mitch Keller.

“It doesn’t take the load off or anything but definitely the spotlight,” said Keller, who is 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA in four starts this month, including a complete game against the Los Angeles Angels on May 6. “I joke around with them that I get to fly under the radar. No one even notices I’m here, so it’s funny.”

The notoriety is nothing new for Jones and Skenes, both former two-way players who have taken turns in the spotlight before they reached the majors.

Jones was the Los Angeles Times player of the year at La Mirada High School in 2019, a year before the Pirates selected him in the second round. Skenes won the John Olerud Award as the nation’s top two-way player as a sophomore at Air Force before transferring to LSU and leading the Tigers to the College World Series championship and being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft last July.

“There are definitely some things to adjust to but all of the attention isn’t super crazy. It’s just more people in the stands, I think,” said Skenes, who turns 22 on Wednesday. “It’s not too different because I was doing it in Indy, too. Really, the big spike in all of that was after the draft. It wasn’t so much when I debuted. It’s not super new.”

Despite their differing appearances, teammates say Jones is spot-on about his similarities to Skenes. Both arrive to the ballpark early, are rigid in their routines between starts and share the same mentality toward attacking hitters. They have learned to block out the distractions and concentrate on playing a game of catch, at intense velocity and movement that is complemented by a variety of secondary pitches.

“These two guys know what they need to do, especially in the game, in big situations,” said Pirates lefty Martin Perez, who, like Skenes, broke into the majors at age 21. “They get here early, do all their routines. They like to talk. They ask a lot of questions. My job is not to just go out there and pitch. My job is helping them get to the process and make sure the process is not too hard for them. At that age, a lot of things are going on around you. But these guys have a really good personality. They know what they want and what they have to do.”

Jones and Skenes simply consider it their normal. Both are still adjusting to life in the majors but shrug at the suggestion that their lives have changed because of the increased publicity and scrutiny. To them, it’s still the same game, just on a bigger stage.

“We’re going out there and playing baseball,” Jones said. “All of that stuff is just outside noise. It’s all really cool stuff, talking to those people. But it’s just noise. When I’m on the mound, I don’t really hear anything. It’s just me and the catcher behind there. I’m just doing my job.”

Five years ago, Skenes was catching Jones.

Growing up 30 minutes apart in southern California, they played for rival travel teams as teenagers. But at 17, they were teammates for a Prep Baseball Report event heading into the summer circuit, with Skenes catching Jones for an inning as he recorded three strikeouts.

Where Jones signed with the Pirates out of high school for $2.2 million in 2020, Skenes blossomed while attending Air Force and LSU and signed for a draft-record $9.2 million bonus last summer.

“It’s surreal,” Jones said. “I’m super happy for him and all that he’s accomplished. The growth spurt essentially is what hit him. It’s been incredible to watch. I’ve watched him go through college, watched him at LSU last year. By growth spurt, I just mean playing baseball. He was never a big-name dude in high school but he obviously stood out. He was a really good player in high school. Once he got to college, he just took off. It’s so cool to see that type of stuff. I’m really happy for him.”

Shelton smiled at the sight of Jones and Skenes standing with Keller in the dugout during games, building a bond that could benefit the Pirates for the next five years. All three were drafted and developed through the same system, providing what Shelton calls an “organizational win,” and are forming the nucleus of a starting rotation that has quickly become one of baseball’s best through the first two months.

“I don’t think we’ve had many starters from previous years stay, so we’ve had a new rotation it feels like every year. It’s definitely nice to have those guys,” Keller said. “I learn from those guys, too. We’re sharing experiences. They’ve got questions and stuff. Most of the time we’re in the dugout, we’re just talking about the game going on, probably not as deep as everybody’s reading into it.

“Some of them might get there, deeper questions or answers, sharing experiences or stories. Mainly, trying to get a good relationship and be really good teammates first and foremost — and good friends, too. I think that carries a lot of momentum and gives us the trust in each other.”

It hasn’t taken long for Jones and Skenes to earn the trust of the Pirates, starting with the top of the organization. General manager Ben Cherington credited the rookies for how they’ve handled their transition to the major leagues by acting like they belong, on and off the field.

“I think they’ve handled it very well,” Cherington said. “We’re seeing two young pitchers that are certainly competing in games and giving us a chance to win, but handling themselves between starts and have quickly become comfortable in a good way.

“I think they would both tell you, and we feel like, as much as that’s exciting, we want the story to be about the team more than we want it to be about individuals. But they’re both doing their part, for sure. We’re lucky to have them both.”