Pirates ace Paul Skenes cites WBC as contributor to drop in velocity

Skenes spoke to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on Monday and discussed his mechanics throughout the year, and the challenges that came with playing in the WBC before of the regular season.

"There are a lot of other factors, so I don't want to put everything on [the WBC]," Skenes said. "But I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit."

Of course the most glaring disparity in Skenes' game in 2026 was his drop in velocity. His fastball velocity averaged 96.8 mph in 2026, a big tick down from 98.1 mph in 2025 and 98.8 mph in 2024. As the season has gone on it has gotten worse as in his most recent start against the Kansas City Royals saw his fastball average 96.1 mph, and just 95.7 mph in his last start against Miami , which was the lowest in his career.