SEATTLE (AP) — LSU’s stars stole the spotlight at the College World Series. It carried over to the top of baseball’s amateur draft.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected hard-throwing LSU right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes with the top pick in the draft on Sunday night, with teammate Dylan Crews going No. 2 to the Washington Nationals.
It’s the first time in the draft’s history teammates went 1-2.
“It’s super humbling. I was in shock when I heard,” Skenes said. “A year ago, two years ago, I never through it was a possibility to be the first overall pick. I don’t know what I was expecting going into today, but it means a lot.”
Skenes went 12-3 with 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings in helping lead the Tigers to the College World Series championship. The pick was announced by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., the top pick of the 1987 draft by the Seattle Mariners.
Skenes was the first college pitcher selected No. 1 overall since Casey Mize by Detroit in 2018.
“He had an incredibly special season at LSU. He obviously took another step forward this spring,” Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington said. “It’s a really special combination of pitches and just as much about the mix and command than any one pitch.”
For the second time in three years, the Pirates held the top overall selection thanks to winning the first draft lottery and jumping Washington in the selection order. The Pirates picked catcher Henry Davis at the top in 2021; he made his major league debut last month for Pittsburgh.
Skenes’ signing bonus is expected to be near the slot value of about $9.7 million. Cherington said the hope is an agreement can come quickly and Skenes could pitch somewhere in the Pirates organization in 2023.
“It will have been a little while since he last pitched in the World Series and we want to be sure that whatever that schedule and progression looks (like) makes sense for him,” Cherington said.
It seemed to be a debate between Skenes and Crews for the top pick. It didn’t take long for Crews to come off the board after hitting .426 with 18 home runs while playing center field for the Tigers. Crews had a 26-game hitting streak as part of his standout season for the Tigers and finished his career at LSU by reaching base in each of his final 75 college games.
Crews said he’s never been to Washington, but saw plenty of the Nationals while growing up and watching Bryce Harper.
“Seeing him in a Nationals uniform, it was pretty awesome,” Crews said. “I’m going to play my game and hopefully have as much impact as him. … He’s just a complete player.”
Crews is the first college position player taken by Washington with its first pick since Anthony Rendon in 2011.
“A guy we’ve watched since he was in high school,” Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said. “He’s the type of guy that we want here in Washington. He’s a terrific person. He’s got great character. He’s very competitive and he’s a winner.”
