LSU baseball star pitcher interested in batting and pitching at the next level

LSU baseball star pitcher Paul Skenes was an absolute gift to the program in 2023. The transfer from Air Force became the best player in all of college baseball and was a significant factor in the Tigers’ College Baseball World Series run. Now, Skenes has turned his sights to the MLB and has already expressed interest in both batting and pitching.

LSU baseball star pitcher could do both batting and pitching in the big leagues

Paul Skenes is about as good as it gets when it comes to college pitching. In 2023, he allowed just 28 runs compared to an incredible 209 strikeouts.

He was awarded for his elite performance with the 2023 National Player of the Year award in college baseball. Not only that but he was also named the 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year.

Still, the scariest part of it all is the fact that he can do so much more than just pitch. He’s also a solid batter and spent most of his career as a catcher.

As he prepares for the MLB draft, fans are left wondering if they could see Skenes pitching and batting at the next level. Well, Skenes apparently has been thinking about it as well. In an interview during yesterday’s Mets versus Giants game, Skenes expressed interest in doing both.

Paul Skenes wants to pitch AND hit at the next level👀#LSU pic.twitter.com/nKfbvn54XK

— Mik’d Up (@Mikdup_8) July 3, 2023

In his two seasons at Air Force, Skenes took 341 at-bats and had a batting average of around 0.367. He also had a total of 125 hits and 24 home runs.

There’s no denying Skenes’ pitching ability. Still, he’s not a bad batter by any stretch of the imagination. Could we see him do both in the MLB? I don’t particularly see why not, but that will be something he will need to discuss with whichever franchise ultimately drafts him.

The MLB draft officially begins July 9 at 6:00 p.m. CST. There’s plenty of debate around who the No. 1 overall pick will be, but there’s no doubt that Skenes has as good an argument as anyone to be the top choice.

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