Paul David Skenes (born May 29, 2002) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the LSU Tigers. He was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. Early life and amateur career Skenes grew up in Lake Forest, California and attended El Toro High School. He was recruited by the US Air Force Academy baseball team and accepted an appointment as part of the class of 2024.In his first season at Air Force, Skenes was named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and a first team All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Baseball America, and the NCBWA. He was named the winner of the John Olerud Award as the nation's best two-way player.In 2021, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.After his sophomore season, Skenes entered the NCAA transfer portal. On July 28, 2022, Skenes announced that he would transfer to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play for the LSU Tigers. Following the 2023 season, Skenes won the National Pitcher...