El Toro High School Baseball Alumni Earns #1 Pick In 2023 MLB Draft

LAKE FOREST, CA — Paul Skenes was selected as the number one pick in the Major League Baseball draft for 2023. It was decided Sunday afternoon. He will head to the Pittsburg Pirates and joins that program as a pitcher.

At the draft, baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr. was selected to open the 2023 draft with the Pirate's choice.

Whether it was fate that he was announced by one of MLB's greatest all-time pitchers, we'll have to wait and see.

Skenes elevated his young baseball career playing at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, and his alma mater shared a tweet congratulating his most recent accomplishment.

Skenes followed his high school career by playing first for the United States Air Force Academy, then transferring to join the team at Louisiana State University. He and his Tiger teammates at LSU won the national championship title two weeks ago. He has emerged as "the best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg in 2009," according to MLB reports.

After the announcement, interviewers asked Skenes how he felt about getting the call.

"I'm amazed. I can't put it into words," Skenes said after the announcement. "I'm so grateful for the experience and the opportunity."

The moment was captured on video and shared on Twitter by LSU Baseball.

Skenes throws what MLB.com called an "overpowering triple-digit fastball" and a "wipeout breaking" slider, according to MLB. He will likely play for affiliates of the Pirates before stepping into the big show, as owners are looking for his "long-term future" with the team. There are many details yet to iron out, according to the team and Skenes.

"I think my stuff is big league ready," Skenes told reporters. "But to be honest, not being in professional baseball yet … I think there's some stuff that I'm probably going to have to figure out along the way because I just haven't been exposed to professional baseball. With that said, my end goal is to be in the big leagues as long as possible and as soon as possible, so I'm going to do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal."

He is 6-foot-6 inches, is 21, and was named the Men's College World Series Most Outstanding Player for the 2023 season.