Pirates' No. 1 pick turned down opportunity to be two-way player

The Pittsburgh Pirates offered No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes, a right-handed starting pitcher out of LSU, the opportunity to try and be the next Shohei Ohtani that could excel as both a starting pitcher and hitter. 

But Skenes turned down that opportunity and instead wants to just focus on being a pitcher. 

Skenes explained to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he feels better physically when he is only focussing on pitching, and being two-way player is not something he has any plans on doing anytime soon. 

During his first two years in college at Air Force, Skenes excelled on the mound and at the plate and was one of college baseball's best two-way players. He had an OPS over 1.000 as a hitter each season, while also dominating on the mound.

But when he transferred to LSU for the 2023 season he put all of his focus into pitching, and it resulted in one of the greatest single season pitching performances in NCAA history. That included an SEC record of 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings. At times, Skenes was completely unhittable. 

That performance not only made him the top pick in the draft, it also got him the highest signing bonus ever for a No. 1 pick. 

Skenes has already made his pro debut in the Pirates minor league system, striking out three batters in two innings between the rookie league and single-A. He figures to rapidly climb through the Pirates' farm system and could even be in the major leagues by next season. He is already the top prospect in the Pirates organization and one of the best prospects in all of baseball. 

But he will be doing all of that as a pitcher. Not as a two-way player.