In 2024, Paul Skenes most certainly lived up to the hype and then some. The 22-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates ace showed up as advertised and delivered electric pitching with a multi-tool arsenal.
Baseball fans old enough to remember might draw comparisons from Skenes’ outstanding season with that of Dwight Gooden precisely 40 years ago. The aura and fanfare surrounding the two pitchers in their rookie seasons was strikingly similar. So, too, was their dominance in many or most of the major statistical categories for starting pitchers in the National League.
Gooden in 1984 and Skenes in 2024 showed fans a unique but fluid pitching delivery that had never been seen before. This, coupled with some original pitches that carried fun nicknames, was devastating for hitters who tried to counter their efforts. Their cases for National League Rookie of the Year were exceptional. Through their performances on the mound, they both convinced the baseball writers to overlook some remarkable seasons from various position players and earn the award as pitchers, an uncommon feat.
Skenes will look to rise to the occasion in 2025 and match or even exceed Gooden’s performance in 2025. Here is a brief comparison of these two generational talents and a teaser of a projection for what potentially lies ahead for Skenes in his sophomore season in Pittsburgh.
Paul Skenes’ arrival in Pittsburgh was highly anticipated, and fans were left perplexed when he was left off the opening day roster after a solid spring training performance. Rather than gaining an immediate spot in the Pirates rotation, Skenes was left with a load-managed assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he dominated.
Skenes was limited to no more than four innings per start, except for his final outing and stint in Triple-A. He left Indy with an incredible 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 27 innings. When he was called up in May, just before his 22nd birthday, he dazzled beyond expectations, flirting with a no-hitter on numerous starts and leaving the game with one, perfectly intact after six frames against the Cubs at Wrigley in just his second start.
Pirates Manager Derek Shelton appeared to be under strict direction from the front office to keep a predetermined pitch count on Skenes. Shelton would ease up slightly on this directive as the season progressed, and Paul Skenes would finish with a phenomenal 11-3 record and 170 k’s over 130 innings.
Unfortunately, his total number of innings and starts did not qualify him for the ERA title, which he would have easily won had he been with the big club from the beginning of the season. Paul Skenes, in all likelihood, would have been the Cy Young Award winner in 2024, ahead of first-time winner Chris Sale of the Braves, had he finished with 30 games started over an entire season.
Dwight Gooden’s debut was not delayed in the same manner as Skenes’. Drafted in the first round of the 1982 MLB draft out of Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Dwight Gooden made his first start in early April of that season and did not look back. The Mets brass and manager Davey Johnson did not consider workload management for any game after his first when he was pulled after five innings for a quality outing, but a no-decision at the Astrodome in Houston. Like Skenes, 40 years later, Gooden pitched well in his debut, but he was pulled a little early (Skenes’ outing ended in the 4th), and their teams later went on to win the ballgame.
Like Skenes, Dwight Gooden was ready to assume stardom at the MLB level at a very young age. In 1983, Gooden pitched 191 innings at Triple-A Lynchburg, striking out 300 to the tune of a 2.50 ERA, as an 18-year-old pitching prodigy. The Mets would not budge in calling Gooden up despite needing additional starting pitching at various points over the ‘83 season. Gooden was to remain in Lynchburg until his permanent callup to the big league roster in 1984.
Gooden showed absolute brilliance from that moment on, drawing huge crowds to Shea Stadium in Queens for every one of his starts. Using no concept of workload management at the time and often using just a 4-man rotation, Dwight Gooden racked up a league-leading 276 strikeouts over 218 full innings with the New York Mets. This included seven complete games and three shutouts.
The unique pitching arsenal of both pitchers included Skenes’ “splinker” and Gooden’s “Old Charles.” The splinker was displayed when Skenes’ was the starting pitcher for the NL squad at the 2024 All-Star game. Mixing 100mph heat with a knee-buckling changeup, Skenes offered hitters such as Gunnar Henderson and Aaron Judge a “splinker” that moved like the late Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball, with pinpoint control and at a velocity that sat in the low nineties.
In 1984, Gooden’s “Old Charles” curveball was mixed with his high-nineties heat and effective changeup to baffle hitters on the grandest stages. He was handed the ball in the ’84 All-Star game at old Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and with battery mate catcher, Hall of Famer Gary Carter calling pitches, Gooden sat down Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis in order. Dominating and striking out the side with style. Gooden made a statement at that ASG that he was for real and that he belonged with the best.
Looking ahead to 2025, Paul Skenes will have to increase his workload dramatically if he has a shot at coming close to matching the numbers of Dwight Gooden’s Cy Young season of 1985. Load management will continue to be factored into Skenes’ season this year and beyond, as the Pirates will always look to protect their investment. Gooden’s season in 1985, an incredible follow-up to his ’84 performance, was one for the ages. We can only wonder and dream of how great Dwight Gooden might have been in his later years if the same preventative and protective measures had been applied to him.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
