Before taking the mound, Pirates ace Paul Skenes goes to war. On Tuesday, The Ringer's Hannah Keyser shared a profile of the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, and one of the more fascinating tidbits came when Keyser shared Skenes' unorthodox pregame ritual.

Additionally, the Pirates have an All-Star caliber veteran in outfielder Bryan Reynolds, a physically-gifted—and perhaps future All-Star—in 26-year-old Oneil Cruz, and a farm system with promising young bats and arms that MLB.com ranked among baseball's top-15 this spring.

Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes is entering his first full season with the team, and he’s set to make his first of potentially many Opening Day starts on Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Skenes has grown attached to the city of Pittsburgh during his brief time in the league,