While Paul Skenes may be generating most of the headlines for the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend, fellow rookie Jared Jones made even more history on Friday.
Pittsburgh lost the game 7-2, so Jones dropped to 2-4 on the year, but his ERA still sits at 2.68. He also owns a 0.872 WHIP, 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.4 WAR.Masahiro Tanaka set the previous record with 135 back in 2014, while Spencer Strider tied that mark in 2022.
Jared Jones’ 140 swings and misses this season are the most by a pitcher in his first 8 career starts in the pitch-tracking era That is some pretty solid company for Jones to be in, considering Tanaka was named an All-Star and placed fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting that season. Strider, meanwhile, was runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year and became an All-Star a year later.
Jones entered 2024 as the No. 3 prospect and No. 2 pitcher in the Pirates' farm system, almost completely overshadowed by Skenes. While Skenes was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Jones was a second rounder out of high school back in 2020 and was Pittsburgh's No. 11 prospect as recently as 2023.
The 22-year-old righty tossed 16.1 scoreless innings in Spring Training, though, winning a spot in the Pirates' starting rotation to open the year. He has more than proven himself to be capable, setting records and mowing down opposing lineups through six weeks of action. And now that Skenes is joining Jones and homegrown ace Mitch Keller in Pittsburgh, the Pirates have reason to believe that their rotation can dominate for years to come.Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks.
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