Pitching wins championships is an adage that has stood the test of time in baseball, and the Pittsburgh Pirates may not be far off from having a chance to prove that true again

MLB.com’s Will Leitch broke down one reason each team should be thankful, and for the Pirates, he tabbed their pitching staff and how dangerous they could be if everything clicked and they sneaked into the playoffs.

“Paul Skenes is reason enough to be thankful, of course, but don’t forget Jared Jones and Mitch Keller,” Leitch writes. “If the Pirates are ever able to sneak in the playoffs — and they just might in 2025 — that’s a triumvirate no one will want to deal with.”

Everything with the Pirates’ pitching staff starts and ends with Paul Skenes, who strung together one of the best first seasons in MLB history en route to winning the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year. Skenes was the Pirates’ first pitcher in franchise history to earn the accolade and the second player to do so, joining outfielder Jason Bay in 2004.

Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts and he set a Pirates rookie record with 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. He was also the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games and the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances. Pittsburgh’s ace was also the the first rookie pitcher to start an All-Star game since Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo in 1995.

Beyond Skenes, though, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller are also solid in their own right. Jones went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA over 22 starts, though, a strained right lat that cost him two months in the second half hindered his rookie season. Before the All-Star break, Jones was 5-6 with a 3.56 ERA over 16 starts.

Keller endured similar struggles that resulted in him finishing the season 11-12 with a 4.25 ERA. After the All-Star break, Keller was 1-7 with a 5.65 ERA.

Luis Ortiz also flashed promise with his strong ending to the 2024 season and Pittsburgh has top prospect Bubba Chandler knocking on the door to reach the big leagues. Chandler is MLB Pipeline’s No. 15 prospect and second-ranked pitching prospect in baseball.

There’s no disputing how good the Pirates’ pitching staff can be if everyone stays healthy and lives up to expectations. If they can get more production on offense to support their pitching staff, Pittsburgh may very well be the dangerous team no one would want to see in October.

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