Jeff Passan calls for Paul Skenes to start MLB All-Star Game
One year after leading LSU to a national championship, Paul Skenes has taken baseball by storm. He flew through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league system after going No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft, and is setting multiple records through the first couple months of his career.
But with the MLB All-Star Game coming up later this month, some are wondering if Skenes should get a chance to play for the National League. ESPN’s Jeff Passan, however, went a step further.
He issued a passionate call for Skenes to start the game, which will be in Arlington, Texas later this month. It would add a new level of excitement around the event, and Passan said putting the top pick against the best players in the game could be a way to bring more viewers.
“I urge Torrey Lovullo, the manager of the National League team … to go and pick Paul Skenes to start,” Passan said on the All-Star Reveal Show. “Because if the idea is to get eyeballs on this game, if the idea is to have baseball fans see and feel a moment that excites them, Paul Skenes vs. Gunnar Henderson, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto is a pretty darn good place to do it.”
