Paul Skenes has not been his typically elite self in 2026, which is a shame considering that the Pittsburgh Pirates currently have a winning record and put themselves in somewhat of a position to contend for a postseason spot. Skenes, this season, has posted a 10-11 record with a career-worst ERA of 3.91 in 31 starts (168.0 innings pitched) — with a lot of his struggles boiling down to the fastball velocity decline he's experienced.

His average fastball velocity was at 98.9 and 98.2 mph, respectively, in the first two seasons of his career. That has fallen all the way to 96.8 mph in 2026, and his performances have declined as a result. While his strikeout rate is still elite (10.29 batters per nine innings), his walk rate, home runs allowed, and his ground-ball rate have all declined.

Skenes, perhaps out of frustration, admitted that he feels as though playing in the World Baseball Classic this offseason was the “root” of his struggles this year.

“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, per Colin Beazley of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Pirates ace appeared to have been caught off-guard by the sudden transition from getting Spring Training reps to competitive action in the WBC. He had to ramp up quickly, and that appears to have caused some mechanical changes that he simply could not rebound from despite making tweaks throughout the season.

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“It definitely affected the year. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one,” Skenes added.

At the very least, Skenes believes that a full offseason's worth of rest and just getting back to his pre-WBC form should make a difference — as tough as it is to admit following a substandard 2026 season.

“Unfortunately, it’s probably going to take an offseason to get it back,” Skenes said.

Nonetheless, Skenes still has an fWAR of 4.3, so despite his struggles, he remains a quality pitcher. But the Pirates need him to be at his best so they can mount more of a challenge for a postseason spot come 2027.