'Are You F--king Kidding Me With That?' MLB Insider Reacts to Skubal or Skenes Question on No. 1 SP

While the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal and Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes are generally considered the best starting pitchers in MLB, selecting one over the other is anything but straightforward.

ESPN's Buster Olney kicked off his 2026 positional rankings by listing off the league's best aces. He wrote how Skubal vs. Skenes "has confounded evaluators more than any other discussion."

One talent evaluator had a succinct response to the query: "Are you f--king kidding me with that?"

Skubal is the two-time reigning Cy Young winner in the American League. Since the start of the 2022 season, he has posted a 2.61 ERA and a 2.50 FIP while averaging 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

MLB's arbitration panel provided a tangible indicator of the southpaw's value, awarding him a $32 million salary for this season. That smashed the previous record for a starter ($19.75 for David Price in 2015).

Skenes, meanwhile, has been dominant from the moment he debuted in MLB in May 2024. Through 320.2 career innings, he has struck out 386 batters while boasting a sub-2.00 ERA (1.96) and a 2.40 FIP.

There really isn't much to separate Skubal and Skenes statistically, and their pitch arsenals are equally filthy. The pair can hit triple digits with their hard stuff while possessing secondary offerings that flummox opposing players.

According to Baseball Savant, hitters had a .206 expected batting average and a .344 expected slugging percentage against Skubal. Those numbers were .202 and .321, respectively, for Skenes.

"One AL coach whose team has faced both pitchers said that when hitters return to the dugout after facing Skenes or Skubal, there is no bravado, feigned or real; they are just quiet, maybe because they felt overmatched in the batter's box," Olney wrote.

There isn't really a wrong answer to the question of Skubal vs. Skenes because each has a compelling case to be No. 1.

The one clear truth is that you don't want to see either on the mound when you're stepping up to the plate.