The past few years have truly been an incredible run for Paul Skenes as he continues to build his superstardom. During his final season at LSU, Skenes emerged as one of the best players in the Country helping lead LSU to a National Championship while picking up countless awards and accolades along the way. After tearing up College Baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Paul Skenes with the 1st Overall pick.
Skenes then continued to dominate in the Minor Leagues quickly making his MLB Debut less than a year after being selected 1st Overall. Anyone expecting that Skenes would slow down at the MLB level was greatly mistaken as Skenes posted a 1.96 ERA as a rookie with 170 strikeouts taking home the National League Rookie of the Year Award and 3rd place in the National League Cy Young race.
As Skenes continues to dominate the MLB in his second season, LSU fans and Pirates fans weren't shocked while waiting to see what his next big move would be. On Tuesday, Paul Skenes added another major accolade to his resume as it was announced he'll pitch for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball classic.
Paul Skenes will take the mound for Team USA in the 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KjXJ95L3Un
— MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2025
While Skenes landing on Team USA is a massive deal for him, it's also a massive deal for Team USA as it's a struggle to find elite level pitching willing to add extra mileage to their arms before the MLB season begins.
Skenes is a 3-time Team USA Alumni as he appeared on the 12U National Team, the 2021 Collegiate National Team, and the 2022 Collegiate National Team. While Skenes has made an impact in two of his trips at the plate, this time around he'll likely serve as the National Team's Ace Pitcher which may be more impressive than playing both ways in the past.
The achievement is another long accolade in Skenes' young career and another great example of LSU taking players and turning them into global stars.