Paul Skenes is the Pirates' lone All-Star representative

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul 4, 2026

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

WASHINGTON — Paul Skenes stood at his locker, holding a physical paper invitation to the All-Star Game, and seemed surprised by it all.

His shock wasn’t entirely over his own selection, though he is in the midst of the worst stretch of his major league career — his team has lost his last nine starts; his numbers aren’t what they usually are.

No, Skenes was more surprised that there aren’t any Pirates joining him.

“I was shocked that I was the only one,” Skenes said. “Yeah, not too happy about that.”

His manager agreed, calling it “frustrating” that several Pirates were snubbed.

There will be opt-outs and injury replacements, but those are less common for position players.

“I feel like we've got a lot of guys that deserve to go,” Don Kelly said. “It's not closed yet — there will be replacements and other things — and we'll certainly be pushing for and pulling for other guys that are deserving to be on the team as well.”

Skenes was announced as one of 32 National League All-Stars on Saturday evening, marking his third selection in three major league seasons. He said he won’t be participating in the All-Star Game in Philadelphia on July 14, as he’s scheduled to start for the Pirates next Sunday.

Still, he doesn’t want to make the trip alone.

Three Pirates come to mind as the most obvious omissions:

— Brandon Lowe leads all major league second basemen with 20 homers, 60 RBIs and a .494 slugging percentage and is second with an .826 OPS.

— Bryan Reynolds has an .865 OPS, sixth among NL outfielders who have played 80 games, a .284 average and 55 RBIs.

— Braxton Ashcraft has not only been better than Skenes, but he’s among the top pitchers in baseball. The right-hander, who started Saturday’s 7-1 win against the Washington Nationals, is now 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings. He ranks fourth in baseball in innings and sixth in strikeouts. Among National League pitchers, his ERA ranks 11th.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game and I don’t really think you can argue that,” Skenes said. “All the numbers say that, too.”

And those aren’t the only Pirates who deserved a look, Skenes said. He said Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz would have had a case had they not been injured. Konnor Griffin and Esmerlyn Valdez could be All-Stars next year, he said.

“Our offense is just a buzzsaw,” Skenes said. “Nobody wants to face us.”

Skenes, meanwhile, is having a pedestrian year by his sky-high standards. He’s 6-8 with a 3.62 ERA, striking out 119 in 97 innings. His 1.01 WHIP and .211 opposing batting average are still top-10 marks in the National League, but he’s 0-6 with a 5.36 ERA in his last nine starts.

Skenes remains one of baseball’s stars, yet this nine-game stretch put his candidacy in doubt.

“I think I’ve thrown the ball well, but I don’t think all the numbers necessarily match that,” Skenes said. “And I think that’s probably how a lot of fans feel, too.”

Pitchers and reserves are voted on by MLB players. The commissioner’s office selects six additional players to ensure that each major league team has at least one representative.

Skenes is looking forward to going to the All-Star Game, even if he won’t be playing in it. He’s lined up to start Tuesday at PNC Park against the Atlanta Braves, then again Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Last year, the Pirates gave Skenes a little bit of extra rest in July, which had the added impact of lining him up to start the All-Star Game. That’s not the case this year.

“Paul's goal and our goal is to make a push to make the playoffs, and that is what we're going to be continuing to push towards,” Kelly said. “And as I see it right now, if he's healthy and he's good to go, then he'll be pitching [next] Sunday.”

Still, Skenes plans on making the most of the opportunity. His favorite part of All-Star week, beyond family time, is sharing a clubhouse and picking the brains of the best players in baseball.

As a rookie, he was asking veterans how best to handle a full season workload. Last year, he was talking to longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

He’ll surely work the room again this year.

But because he won’t be pitching in the game, one Pirates teammate is guaranteed to get a spot. Skenes is hoping it goes to Ashcraft.

“Getting to go to the All-Star Game is not the end-all, be-all by any means, but he deserves it,” Skenes said, “and he’s not the only one.”

____