Paul Skenes
A flame-throwing pitching prodigy whose record-breaking college season catapulted him to the top of the MLB draft and an instant major league spotlight.
Born 2002 (age 24)·American baseball player·Birthday: May 29·Generation Z
Biography
Paul Skenes arrived in professional baseball not as a prospect, but as an event. His path was unorthodox: beginning his college career as a two-way player at the Air Force Academy, he transferred to LSU and focused solely on pitching. The result was a historic eruption. In 2023, Skenes dominated college baseball with a fastball that touched 102 mph and a devastating slider, racking up strikeouts at a record pace and leading LSU to a national championship. His combination of size, power, and polish made him the obvious first overall pick in the 2023 draft. The Pittsburgh Pirates, in need of a franchise-altering arm, selected him and fast-tracked his development. By May 2024, Skenes was in the majors, his every start dissected as baseball awaited the full unfolding of his potentially era-defining talent.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Paul was born in 2002, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 2002
#1 Movie
Spider-Man
Best Picture
Chicago
#1 TV Show
Friends
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2002Born
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2007Started school
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2015Became a teenager
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2018Could drive
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2020Could vote
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2023Turned 21
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 24 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 2023 Dick Howser Trophy as college baseball's national player of the year after a dominant season at LSU.
- Selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.
- Pitched LSU to the 2023 College World Series national championship, being named the Most Outstanding Player of the series.
Did You Know?
He originally attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he also played as a catcher and designated hitter.
In his final college season, he set the SEC record for strikeouts in a season with 209.
His girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, is a famous LSU gymnast and social media influencer.
“My job is to get the hitter out, that's it.”
