By Dan Hock
Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds and Paul Skenes have been named to the National League All[1]Star team for this year’s All-Star Game at Texas’ Globe Life Field on Tuesday, July 16. The announcement was made tonight by Major League Baseball.
This is the second time Reynolds will represent the Pirates organization at the Midsummer Classic after also doing so in 2021 when he started in center field in place of the injured Ronald Acuña Jr.
The 29-year-old Reynolds has been one of the National League’s best outfielders in 2024. Coming into today, he was second among all primary outfielders in the National League in home runs (16), slugging (.489) and OPS (.836), third in batting (.284), tied for fourth in RBI (54), and sixth in OBP (.348).
Since the beginning of June, Reynolds entered today third among all National League players in batting (.346) and slugging (.646), second in total bases (82), fifth in OPS (1.044), and tied for sixth in RBI (24).
The 22-year-old Skenes has emerged as one of the game’s most exciting young pitchers just one year after the Pirates selected him No. 1 overall in the draft. Skenes is the first Pirates rookie pitcher ever to be selected to the All-Star Game and fourth Pirates rookie ever along with Frankie Zak in 1944, Jason Kendall in 1996 and Tony Womack in 1997.
Since making his Major League debut on May 11, Skenes ranks third in all of MLB in ERA (2.12), third in strikeouts (78) and fifth in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (11.83) while going 5-0 in his first 10 starts.Skenes’ 78 strikeouts after his first 10 appearances are the eighth-most in MLB history since 1901. The only seven pitchers with more strikeouts are Kerry Wood (94 in 1998), Herb Score (92 in 1955), Jose DeLeon (85 in 1983), Hideo Nomo (83 in 1995), Dwight Gooden (80 in 1984), Masahiro Tanaka (79 in 2014), and Stephen Strasburg (79 in 2010).
Skenes is also the first Pirates rookie starter to win each of his first five decisions since Zach Duke won each of his first six in 2005 (Justin Wilson won each of his first five decisions as a rookie reliever in 2013).
COURTESY PIRATES MEDIA RELATIONS
