Outlook: The Pirates caught some flack for not having Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, open last season in their rotation, but they’re used to the gripes by now and things wound up pretty much as they should have anyway; Skenes won Rookie of the Year and claimed his full season of service time despite not debuting until May 11. In 23 major league starts, Skenes allowed just 31 runs, and in spite of the Pirates wanting to protect him, he was efficient enough to go six innings on 16 occasions. He never allowed more than six hits and only struck out fewer than six batters three times (once being Game 161, when he was pulled after two scoreless frames). It would have been a masterful showing even if he weren’t only one year out of college, and Skenes enters 2025 No. 1 on the pitching big board as a result. He’s probably a little riskier than Tarik Skubal in terms of health, but there were no red flags last year. It’d still be difficult to eschew a bat in favor of a pitcher in round one this year, but if anyone is worth it, it’s Skenes.