Paul Skenes Faces Ultimate Criticism For Pirates’ 2026 Failure

The Pittsburgh Pirates expected more from Paul Skenes in the 2026 season. The Steel City believed he would be a shutdown starting pitcher once again. That did not end up happening. The Pirates have not had their ace legitimately present, and that certainly affected the season.

This is especially true because the team won’t make the playoffs. The Pirates did, however, field a team that earned respect. One member of the roster who could have some regrets is the dominant thrower in Skenes.

Advertisement

Skenes Let The Pirates Down During 2026 Season

The front office made several moves to piece together a competitive roster for the Pirates. Despite this, the guy who was supposed to be the most reliable of them all failed the franchise with an extremely underwhelming campaign.

Paul Skenes didn’t win a Rookie of the Year Award and then Cy Young for nothing. The right-hander has been known to be a generational talent, but his dominance did not present itself in 2026.

Some may blame the World Baseball Classic for that. It might not be all that reasonable to compete so seriously in February and March but then move onto a MLB schedule.

Advertisement

Regardless, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette‘s Colin Beazley reported that Skenes is a key person to blame for the lackluster year for the Pirates.

“The Pirates’ win on Friday night kept them mathematically alive for the postseason, even if those chances are no longer realistic,” Beazley wrote. “Their ace’s struggles offered a reminder of one reason why a ticket won’t be punched.”

The Pirates won on Friday and Skenes was the starting pitcher. The point from Beazley goes well beyond that. Skenes is one of the main reasons why Pittsburgh hasn’t lived up to expectations. It’s fair to say that an elite-level year from the former first-overall pick would have led to a playoff berth.

Skenes Hasn’t Performed Up To Par

The pitcher has a 3.91 ERA and a record of 10-11. Beazley made it known that things have fallen off for Skenes.

“There were some positives for Skenes, notably seven strikeouts, 17 whiffs and a fastball that reached 97.9 mph, although it averaged 96 mph,” Beazley wrote. “He also retired the final seven hitters he faced. But it was far from his sharpest outing.”

The Pirates could have an extremely bright future ahead. The main determining factor of that possibility will be Skenes staying around and returning to Cy Young form. Pittsburgh will continue to wait for the Ben Cherington team to break out.

Advertisement

This article was originally published on HEAVY

The post Paul Skenes Faces Ultimate Criticism For Pirates’ 2026 Failure appeared first on HEAVY.