PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star rookie right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes met a legend of the franchise at PNC Park in former outfielder Barry Bonds.
Bonds came to PNC Park as the franchise enshirned him into the Pirates Hall of Fame prior to the game against the Cincinnati Reds Saturday night. Former manager JIm Leyland and catcher Manny Sanguillién also joined Bonds for their enshrinement into the Pirates Hall of Fame as well.
Bonds shook hands with Skenes, but also met up with Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen, dapping him up with Leyland coming along too.
Past, present and future. pic.twitter.com/yhWaHDT304
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 24, 2024
Bonds is one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, but got his start with the Pirates, who drafted him sixth overall in the 1985 MLB Draft.
He played seven seasons for the Pirates from 1986-92, slashing .275/.380/503 with 984 hits, 220 doubles, 36 triples, 176 home runs, 556 RBIs, 251 stolen bases and 611 walks to 590 strikeouts.
Bonds ranks fifth all-time in Pirates history for home runs, seventh all-time for stolen bases and eighth all-time for his .503 slugging percentage. His overall WAR (Wins Above Replacement) at 50.3 is seventh best, while his 11.2 Defesnive WAR ranks tied for sixth with Sanguillién.
He also was the National League MVP and All-Star in 1990 and 1992 and won three straight Gold Glove Awards and Silver Slugger Awards from 1990-92. He hit 33 home runs and stole 52 bases in 1990, one of only three players to join the 30-50 club. He also hit 34 home runs and stole 39 bases in 1992, with 127 walks to 69 strikeouts.
Bonds, along with the help of Leyland, led the Pirates to three straight NLCS apperances, but they failed to make the World Series, losing to the Reds in 1990 and the Atlanta Braves in both 1991 and 1992.
The San Francisco Giants signed Bonds as a free agent to a then-record $43.75 million over six years and he spent his final 14 seasons in the MLB with the franchise, eventually going on to break the home run record, finishing with 762 in his career.
Skenes is one of the pitchers in baseball right now, even in his rookie season, hoping to follow a trajectory close to Bonds himself.
He starred at LSU in 2023, after transferring from Air Force. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched, gave up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while making 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks.
Skenes would enter the 2023 MLB Draft, where the Pirates took him with the No. 1 overall pick. He also signed with the franchise on a $9.2 million signing bonus, the highest ever given to a player.
He dominated in the minor leagues and soon made it up to the MLB on May 11 of this season.
He is one of the best pitchers in baseball right now, even as a rookie. He has a 8-2 record in 17 starts, a 2.16 ERA in 104.0 innings pitched, with 130 strikeouts to just 25 walks, and only allowing 25 earned runs and 10 home runs. He has an opposing batting average of .198, a WHIP of 0.94 and an 11.25 K/9.