Paul Skenes under fire for lame WBC excuses for his drop in performance

P aul Skenes entered 2026 MLB season as one of baseball’s brightest young stars, but his third campaign has produced a sharp statistical downturn and prompted questions about what caused the change. The developing Pittsburgh Pirates ace has seen his average fastball velocity fall to 96.8 mph, down from 98.8 mph as a rookie and 98.1 mph in his second major-league season.

But he has linked part of that decline to pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic , although he stopped short of saying the tournament was solely responsible for his struggles. “There are a lot of other factors, so I don’t want to put everything on that, but I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit,” Skenes said – however, Adam Ottavino , who competed across three WBC tournaments, disagrees. The veteran baseball pitcher does not think the tournament should carry that much responsibility for Skenes ’ season and believes the 24-year-old’s comments puts the pressure on the tournament’s future. “When I saw the quotes, I was like, ‘Rest in peace, WBC,’” Ottavino told Foul Territory. “People are gonna be panicking now. Like, ‘Don’t play in this thing.’ It bugs me a little bit… “I played in three of these things. Obviously I’m not a starting pitcher, not on the level of Paul Skenes, but I feel like if you prepare accordingly, it shouldn’t be the root cause of a down year. “And when I watch Paul pitch this year, yes, the velocity’s down, but it’s plenty enough to get guys out. For me, it was more that his delivery was out of sync. He hasn’t executed the same, and then on top of that, he’s run into some bad luck.”

Skenes’ numbers reveal a dramatic change

Skenes made two appearances for Team USA at the 2026 WBC , throwing four scoreless innings against Mexico before working 4.1 innings against the Dominican Republic in the semifinals. The workload amounted to 8.1 innings, with Skenes arguing that the tournament made his transition into the MLB season more difficult. “It definitely affected the year,” Skenes said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one… Yeah, I don’t know. (The WBC) definitely didn’t make things easier.” In the wake of the WBC , he has posted a 3.91 ERA and 192 strikeouts this season, numbers that would still represent a strong campaign for many pitchers but mark a major change from his first two seasons. But the Cy Young Award -winning right-hander finished his rookie campaign with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings before improving again in 2025 with a 1.97 ERA and 216 strikeouts. He is considered one of baseball’s dominant starters when he is at his best but since mid-May, Skenes has posted a 4.73 ERA over 31 games, leaving the Pirates and their ace searching for answers behind the dramatic second-half decline.