Paul Skenes Is Dominating… But Is He Leaving Something on the Table?

from North Shore Nine: A Pittsburgh Pirates Podcast · host North Shore Nine

Paul Skenes is still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, but Alex Stumpf thinks there may be an even better version hiding underneath the current results. In today’s OffBeat, Alex breaks down how Skenes’ pitch mix has evolved in 2026, why the changeup usage has exploded, where the curveball disappeared to, and whether the Pirates ace is relying too heavily on the fastball/changeup combination instead of utilizing his full arsenal. Is this just natural evolution for an elite pitcher… or is the best version of Paul Skenes still ahead of us? Subscribe to North Shore Nine for daily Pittsburgh Pirates coverage, analysis, and conversation. Subscribe to Book-Rule Bucs Substack: https://bookrulebucs.substack.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 6, 2026

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What this episode covers

Alex Stumpf breaks down the evolution of Paul Skenes’ pitch mix in 2026 and questions whether the Pirates ace is fully utilizing the devastating arsenal that made him nearly untouchable last season. It’s a deep dive into changeup usage, missing breaking balls, and whether an even better version of Skenes still exists.