‘He Ain’t Even Close to Prime or Peak,’ A.J. Burnett Thinks Paul Skenes Capable of Even More

During Burnett’s tenure with the Pirates, he shared a rotation for two years with Gerrit Cole, who like Skenes was drafted by the Pirates first overall.

Cole was an All-Star with Burnett in 2015 and went on to be part of five more Midsummer Classics and win the 2023 American League Cy Young with the New York Yankees.

Burnett sees similarities between the two.

“They’re both bulldogs,” he said. “One thing I gather from both, and Cole is this way, but it doesn’t matter how good they throw, they want to do better the next time out. That was a big thing with Cole. He’d go seven-strong, like one hit, two hits and one run, and just sit down like, ‘How can I go better next time?’ I feel like Paul’s the same way. He wants to be better every time out.”

Similarities between Skenes and Cole isn’t all Burnett has noticed.

Burnett knows what it takes to turn things around and go from a losing season to the playoffs. The Pirates flirted with the postseason during his first year in Pittsburgh but faded in the second half and finished in fourth place in the division. The next year, the Pirates debuted ‘Buctober’ and did so again each of the next two seasons.

The Pirates made several notable additions before the 2013 season, including catcher Russell Martin, left-hander Francisco Liriano and closer Jason Grilli.

This past offseason, the Pirates added a few key pieces including second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder/first baseman Ryan O’Hearn among others.

With Skenes atop the rotation, he thinks the 2026 Pirates are in a similar spot.

“It just seems like the pieces they’ve brought in are perfect fits for what they needed, what they didn’t have,” Burnett said of this year’s Bucs. “That’s what happened with us. We were close in ’12, and the guys they brought in were the perfect pieces we needed. Seems to be working out.”

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