He was the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year. He was the 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner. What does flamethrowing Pirates phenom Paul Skenes have in store for 2026?
Well, for one thing, a new look.
Skenes has shaved the beard he kept during his first two MLB seasons after rising to prominence as a mustachioed college right-hander who helped lead LSU to a College World Series title in 2023.
Skenes’ girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, posted her reaction to seeing him without facial hair for the first time on TikTok, noting the “baby-faced” appearance.
With facial hair, Skenes utterly dominated opponents over his first two big league seasons, posting a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP while striking out an incredible 31 percent of the batters he faced thanks to an overpowering repertoire that includes his triple-digit fastball and patented “splinker.”
Now that he’s clean-shaven, it remains to be seen what’s to come for Skenes in 2026.
But bearded or clean-shaven, that face is one opposing hitters will likely still be seeing in their nightmares for years to come.
