Off The Bat is a weekly Pirates column from insider Jason Mackey, powered by North Shore Tavern, Pittsburgh’s home for steak on a stone.
BRADENTON, Fla. — Paul Skenes signed for $9.2 million last month, a record for a Major League Baseball draft pick. The College World Series champion at LSU is now a consensus top-five prospect across the sport and has drawn regular comparisons to electric college arms such as Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg.
Oh, and he carries the hope of an entire city on his shoulders.
Yet as beloved as Skenes has been among the Pirates fan base, the prized pitching prospect is probably only the second-most popular person in his current relationship. His girlfriend, LSU gymnast and social media sensation Livvy Dunne, has 12 million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. Her platform is nothing short of gigantic, her endorsement deals routinely massive.
In discussing his burgeoning pro career and the staggering amount of attention he and Dunne have already received around Bradenton, where the right-handed starter has been pitching for the Low-A Marauders, Skenes said one of the most enjoyable parts of their relationship remains an ability to understand one another.
Even if they’re not often permitted to function as normal members of society.
“It’s nice, for sure,” Skenes said. “It can be a pain in the butt sometimes, to be honest, in terms of actually going somewhere. If one of us went out in Baton Rouge [La.] by ourselves, there’s probably gonna be someone there asking for something — picture, autograph, whatever.
“It’s nice to be able to have that conversation. She does get it. I do wish she could come to a baseball game and just enjoy it. It does irk me. I don’t have any control over it. She really doesn’t either. I’m sure it’ll get better as I go up levels, but that’s something I want for her.”
Skenes’ comments were likely rooted in what happened to Dunne at LECOM Park when Paul made his affiliated-ball debut on Tuesday night. Dunne was originally in the seats behind home plate but wound up watching from the broadcast booth when fan harassment became too much. (To be fair, Dunne did interact with plenty who were not offensive or obnoxious.)
Although Dunne traveled back to LSU on Thursday, she had been with Skenes in Florida — fighting traffic for road games and watching anonymously from half-empty Single-A ballparks, embracing baseball life, learning more about the sport and supporting Paul in the early stages of his professional journey.
The two started dating, Skenes said, because his best friend at LSU was dating Dunne’s roommate and regular TikTok sidekick, Elena Marenas.
“Just a small-world type of thing,” Skenes said.
As much as Skenes’ relationship has been framed by social media — Dunne was the highest-valued women’s college athlete in 2022 and has a seven-figure endorsement deal for name, image and likeness — the kicker is this: The towering pitcher doesn’t want anything to do with it.
He has a Twitter account but will only post anything when logged in from a laptop. He doesn’t keep social media apps on his phone. Skenes intentionally tries to avoid reading what’s said about him or Dunne.
“I wasn’t on it during the season because it’s toxic,” Skenes said. “When you see something positive about you or something negative, it doesn’t matter. There’s no substance to it. It can’t help.”
To further explain his perspective and feelings, Skenes told a couple of stories. One was a lesson he learned from former LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson, who’s now the head coach at Georgia. Skenes described Johnson as a “life coach” on the side and talked about his advice on eliminating distractions. Basically that the positives of social media don’t outweigh the negatives.
Skenes also referenced another LSU start in current Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
“Burrow started 0-2 last year, and somebody mentioned to him that he was getting a lot of hate on social media,” Skenes said. “He was like, ‘I wouldn’t know. I don’t have it.’ That’s the best way that I think you can handle that. If you don’t see any of it, nothing can get in your way.”
The handling of social media, not so surprisingly, has been a big topic of Skenes’ relationship with Dunne. Skenes knows Dunne is criticized more often because of her following. They’re also both aware it’s what they signed up for in life.
But it doesn’t make it any easier to process whenever they try to go to dinner, watch a baseball game in peace or are constantly reminded that social media can often empower the wrong kind of people. To address that last part, Skenes has tried to convert Dunne over to his way of thinking.
“She doesn’t like seeing some of it, too,” Skenes said. “It’s worse for her. I’ve told her, ‘People are gonna write about you. People are gonna write about me. If it rattles you, if it makes you upset, you gotta find a way to either not see it or not get upset over it.’ In my mind, it’s a lot easier to not see it than not get upset over it.”
THREE UP
• Some Bradenton observations, starting with 2023 second-round pick Mitch Jebb. Hitting .302 with 6 steals through 16 games. Has played infield but could wind up in the outfield. The results have come with a funky, throwback swing, one I’ve heard compared to Rod Carew. “If you get hits, if you’re getting on base, they’re not gonna [make you change],” Jebb said.
• Though the past three have been slow, impressive pro start for 2B Charles McAdoo, a San Jose State product the Pirates took in the 13th round. Through 11 games, he was hitting ..415 with a 1.179 OPS (3 homers, 16 RBIs). Went 6 for 6 with 2 homers and 8 RBIs on Aug. 8. I asked McAdoo what has led to the outburst. “I’m seeing the ball. My eyes are working very well."
• Was good to catch up with OF Lonnie White Jr. Has been hurt a bunch. Should be back from a concussion in the coming days. Has been hitting .263 with a .913 OPS in 26 games. A former Penn State commit, White needs to stay on the field. “Being hurt has actually helped me understand more about my body,” White said.
THREE DOWN
• I want to believe in Max Kranick. Scranton native. Around 98 mph or so in ’22, before he was shut down and had Tommy John surgery. Showed some promise in ’21, as well. But his velocity sitting at 91-93 mph concerns me. Was also hit hard in his first start back. “Obviously wasn’t the way I wanted it to go, but I did come out of it healthy,” Kranick said.
• Also like Quinn Priester a lot. Tremendous kid, smart, insightful, relentlessly positive. Can’t say enough good things. But it’s absolutely the right move to send him down. Don’t know what it accomplishes to stay up here with a 9.10 ERA in six starts. There’s plenty of work to do in Triple-A, too. Must locate better. And where has the velocity gone?
• A little surprised Austin Hedges said what he said on Chris Rose’s podcast. Anybody hitting .180 and continuing to get so many starts should be aware that boos will inevitably occur. At the same time, I also feel somewhat bad for Hedges. I think much of the vitriol directed at him was really intended for those above him.
ON DECK
• WAINO WIND DOWN: This will mark the last trip to PNC Park for Adam Wainwright, who’s 23-8 with a 3.72 in his career against the Pirates. Things haven’t gone well for Wainwright this season, however. He’s 3-8 with an 8.42 ERA, and there’s talk in St. Louis of moving him to the bullpen. Needs two wins for 200.
• PLAY YOUR CARDS: Cardinals were 54-69 entering play Saturday, which means they’d have to finish 27-12 to avoid their first losing season since 2007 (78-84). Pirates are trying to finish above St. Louis in the division for the first time since 1999.
• GO CUBS, GO: Haven’t talked enough about the Cubs post-All-Star break. Entering Saturday, they were second in runs (197) and OPS (.833) and tied for second in batting average (.279). Only three clubs have more wins than Chicago (20) since July 14.
• CODY & NICO SHOW: Cody Bellinger entered Saturday with 9 homers and a 1.049 OPS in 32 games since the All-Star break, while Nico Hoerner has an .891 OPS in 31 games during that time.
NUMEROLOGY
11: Career wins for Cardinals starter and longtime nemesis Adam Wainwright at PNC Park. That’s one fewer than the Pirates current starting rotation combined at home: Mitch Keller (8), Johan Oviedo (4), Bailey Falter (0) and Andre Jackson (0). Luis Ortiz has one, Roansy Contreras five.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: August 18, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: August 18, 2023, 8:18 p.m.
