ARLINGTON — A hearty apology is due right off the bat to members of the National League Central who were forced to relive their bad memories of facing Paul Skenes — even though, for once, the rookie phenom will be on their side when he makes his National League start in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
That’s because, judging by their reactions when asked what advice they would give to American League hitters, those memories are downright unpleasant.
“They’re gonna…” Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz said before chuckling uncontrollably and putting his head in his hands. “It’s not gonna be easy for them. He’s mean. He’s mean.”
De La Cruz started laughing to himself again – and by the way, this is coming from a rare guy who has Skenes was hit, while De La Cruz went 2-of-3 in their meeting. A former MVP can’t say the same.
“Do better than the Brewers did against him,” Christian Yelich advised. “We almost didn’t have a hit.”
So yeah, good luck to Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson and Juan Soto, who are expected to face Skenes in the first — and possibly only — inning that will be thrown by the young pitcher with a five-pitch mix that includes a fastball that reaches triple digits in the late innings and a unique splinker.
Perhaps it’s best not to think about it too much — and Kwan hadn’t until he found out, via text message to his family group Monday afternoon, that he would be the first to speak.
“I actually didn’t think I was going to face him,” Kwan said. “I thought I was going to be on the eighth or ninth hole, so I didn’t even worry about it. I didn’t even think about it.”
Be prepared for speed
Not dealing with him seems to be the name of the game. The consensus of the seven other All-Stars who have faced Skenes this season is that all a hitter can really do is be prepared to swing at high speeds.
“There’s not much you can do,” De La Cruz said. “You just have to react.”
“When it starts to get going, just start swinging,” Isaac Paredes said.
It’s a good bet, because whether it’s the fastball or the splinker, Skenes is likely to throw something really powerful. He’s thrown 44 percent of his pitches at 95 mph or faster, and now he’ll be throwing in a shorter outing where he won’t have to hold back.
So, prepare yourself for speed and hope you guess right.
“I think you don’t have to worry too much about anything,” said Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos, who is 1 for 2 against Skenes. “Everything he has is nasty, so the best chance you have to hit is the fastball.”
“Get ready for 100 (mph),” said Pete Alonso, who went 2 for 3 against Skenes. “I was ready to hit 100, and then it slowed everything else down.”
Don’t let the splinker confuse you
This splinker throw has a bit of a reputation, as it should, given that Skenes misses his splitter-sinker hybrid throw (30.2% miss rate) as much as he misses his heat throw (30.3% miss rate). It’s relatively unique, but at least Ramos had a good sense of self-defeating humor when he saw it.
“Look for the fastball and swing it over the split,” Ramos said with a laugh.
“A lot of people think of the splitter, thinking of a changeup or an off-speed pitch,” Alonso said. “To me, they’re two separate fastballs. It’s a 100 mph four-seam ball and a 95-96 mph diving ball. I think of it as two different fastballs.”
Just enjoy the show
Ultimately, many echoed the sentiment that it wasn’t even worth planning too hard, because in an exhibition by one of the game’s best young talents, those opposing hitters were also simply excited to enjoy Skenes’ showcase from the best vantage point in the house.
“He’s a complete pitcher, man,” said Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who hits fourth in the American League. “It’s going to be fun. I think we’re all looking forward to seeing him on the mound, seeing him do his thing in his first All-Star Game.”
“We’ll see how electric his fastball is,” Soto said.
Kwan added: “I’m very excited. He’s going to be a talented pitcher of a generation.”
And that’s exactly what Tuesday’s first inning will be about: celebrating one of the game’s rising young stars in front of his fans, not only on television across the country, but also from the locker rooms of both All-Stars.
“I think people want to see the best against the best,” Yelich said. “I’m glad it happened this way and you get to see him against the best players in the American League. Let’s do it.”
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