Paul Skenes

Paul Skenes lived up to the hype in 2025, overpowering hitters with elite velocity and swing-and-miss stuff while maintaining strong run prevention in his first extended MLB action. Sure, his record was 10-10, and he probably could have been a 20-game winner on almost any other team. His 2026 projections remain aggressive on strikeouts and ratios, and he is expected to pitch almost 200 innings after throwing 187 in 2025. The year-over-year takeaway is how quickly his command stabilized, limiting walks more than expected for a power arm. Skenes profiles as a high-impact fantasy SP1 whose value is driven by dominance rather than volume alone.

Paul Skenes Dominates in Solid Start Against Reds

Paul Skenes allowed no earned runs on four hits while striking out seven over six innings in Wednesday's victory against the Reds.

Fantasy Impact

Skenes is not scheduled to make another start prior to the end of the regular season. He will finish 2025 with a 10-10 record, 1.97 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and 216 strikeouts in 32 starts.