North Shore Nine

A lot of Pirates fans are demanding that Paul Skenes breaks north with the Pirates at the end of Spring Training. Is that a possibility? Sure, though it is far more likely that the Pirates will sign Jordan Montgomery to a long-term deal.  But, it begs the question, who have been the quickest players to make their MLB debuts after being drafted? Since 2000, 7 pitchers have made their MLB debut in 97 days or less. Below is a chart of the player, the year he was drafted, and when he was taken:

Most fanatics of the game will recognize many, if not all, of the names on the list; however, those same people should also be quick to realize that many of these players did not have lengthy MLB careers. A quick look at each player will shed some insight into why the Pirates would be better off letting Skenes gradually work his way into the rotation.

Ryan Wagner:

It only took Wagner 46 days to reach the show in 2003 at the age of twenty. Pitching out of the Cincinnati Reds bullpen, he threw 21.2 innings with a 1.66 ERA and a 1.154 WHIP. He spent four more seasons in the majors. Spending half with the Reds and half with the Washington Nationals. Wagner tore his labrum during the 2007 season. He was unable to come back to the majors after his rehab, pitching limited innings in AAA in 2008 and 2009. Over his career, he was 11-9 with a 4.79 ERA, struck out 101 batters, walked 79, and compiled a 1.546 WHIP. While an injury had a large effect on why Wagner was unable to have a long MLB career,  the other factor was—after a tremendous rookie season—he was unable to pitch well in the situations he was given.

Chris Sale:

It only took Sale 60 days to reach the majors in 2010 at the age of twenty-one. He pitched 21 games in 2010 throwing 23.1 innings for the Chicago White Sox. He had a 1.93 ERA while striking out 32, walking 10, and compiling a 1.071 WHIP. In 2011, he appeared in 58 games for the White Sox as a reliever before transitioning to a Starter in 2012. Since then, he has started in 263 games for the White Sox and the Red Sox compiling a 120-80 record and a 3.10 ERA. He has been limited the last few seasons due to injuries and was dealt this offseason to the Atlanta Braves. So far in his career, he has gone to seven All-Star games, is a two-time strikeout leader, and has a World Series Ring. If he can remain healthy, he remains a good major league pitcher, as well as an example of the best-case scenario for a player who makes a quick MLB debut.

Joey Devine:

It only took Devine 74 days to reach the majors in 2005 at the age of twenty-one. He pitched for the Atlanta Braves that year throwing 5 innings over 5 games. Furthermore, he had a 12.60 ERA, a 2.2 WHIP, while walking 5 and striking out 3. Devine spent the next two seasons with the Braves bouncing back and forth from AAA to the MLB. He pitched in 20 MLB games over those two seasons totaling 14.2 more innings. In 2008, Devine was dealt to the Oakland A’s, where he had a breakout season. Over 45.2 innings, he went 6-1 with a .59 ERA striking out 49 and walking 15. Unfortunately, in 2009, he had Tommy John surgery and did not pitch again until 2011. He pitched briefly in 2011 for the A’s, bouncing between the minors and the majors, and in 2012, had his second Tommy John surgery and retired from baseball. This is an example of what can happen when injuries pile up for a young player and effectively end their career.

Andrew Miller:

It only took Miller 85 days to reach the show in 2006 at the age of twenty-one. He pitched in 10.1 innings that year with a 6.10 ERA and a 1.742 WHIP for the Detroit Tigers.  He spent one more season in Detroit in 2007 before bouncing around the league with stops in Florida, Boston, Baltimore, New York (A), Cleveland, and St. Louis. When the dust settled, Miller pitched 16 seasons in the majors with a record of 55-55 with 63 saves and a career 4.03 ERA. He was a two-time All-Star, an ALCS MVP, and an Al Reliever of the Year. Miller is an example of what a solid MLB career can look like; even after starting with a handful of years where he struggled to perform, Miller followed up with six dominant seasons, and a trio of wind-down seasons before retirement.

Chad Cordero:

It only took Cordero 88 days to reach the show in 2003 at the age of twenty-one. He pitched for the Montreal Expos twelve times that season. He had a 1.64 ERA over 11 innings striking out 12 and walking 3, with a .636 WHIP.  He spent his career in Montreal/Washington until he tore his labrum in 2008. He refused demotion to AAA and signed in 2009 with the Seattle Mariners where he pitched 9.2 innings. In 2010, he left the Majors and eventually retired due to a pair of failed comebacks, neither of which were injury-related. Over his career, he was 20-15 with a 2.89 ERA, he struck out 298 and walked 122 with a 1.208 WHIP. Cordero is another example of an injury derailing a career.

Brandon Finnegan:

It only took Finnegan 93 days to reach the show in 2014 at the age of twenty-one. He pitched in 7 games for Kansas City going 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA striking out 10 and walking 1 over 7 innings. In 2015, he spent half the season with the Royals before a July trade sent him to the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds began to transition Finnegan to a starting pitcher from the relief role he had played in K.C.  Over the four years spent with the Reds he made 44 starts.  A pair of DL stints in 2017 limited him to only 4 starts in the MLB that season. The following year, he made an additional 5 starts for the Reds. Starting in 2019 and through 2021, Finnegan remained in the minor leagues, unable to make his way back to the show. He was released in August of 2022. Injuries and inconsistencies sidelined Finnegan from remaining long in the majors.

Paco Rodriguez:

It only took Rodriguez 97 days to reach the show in 2012 at the age of twenty-one. He pitched 6.2 innings over 11 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers that season. He put together a 1.35 ERA with a 1.050 WHIP striking out 6 and walking 4. Rodriguez built upon that season, pitching very well in 2013 for the Dodgers. He then spent most of 2014 in AAA, with four stints in the MLB equating to 19 games in total. In 2015, he managed only 18 games and was shut down due to needing bone spur removal. Later that same year, it was discovered he would also need Tommy John surgery. After this surgery, he did not make it back to the majors and was forced to retire, making Rodriguez another flash in the pan who had a nice-looking career sidelined by TJ surgery and other injuries.

Nothing says that Skenes will be like any of these pitchers, especially considering he is already outside of the zone of their call-ups; however, most of these guys are cautionary tales of what can happen to any pitcher.  Only Andrew Miller really escaped long stints on the DL. None of this is to say that if Skenes is rushed, he will have some injury; however, there is something to be said about rushing the workload of young players in Major League Baseball, especially pitchers. Pirates fans are rightly very high on Skenes. Patience being the virtue it is should dictate the correct course of action. Let Skenes get into the routine of life in baseball. Let him prepare his body and mind for the toll a full season of baseball will have on him. If he comes to the majors at some point in 2024, then fine. But if he doesn’t, even better. Let him season, let him prepare, let him get ready to lead the future Pirates rotation back to the glory of the playoffs. Be patient. It is hard, but in the end, it could be very well worth the wait.