Why did LSU’s Paul Skenes transfer from Air Force? Military service played role in move
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If you aren’t on the Paul Skenes train yet, then please be advised it will run you over.
The hype is here and, in many ways, might be bordering on impossible to live up to after Skenes dazzled fans in Baton Rouge this season.
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Standing 6-6 and weighing 247 pounds, the LSU ace is terrifying both up close and 60 feet, 6 inches away. He is the MLB Pipeline’s No. 2-ranked prospect entering the 2023 MLB Draft.
He holds a 12-2 record and 1.77 ERA in 2023 ahead of the Tigers’ first game in the College World Series, with an absurd 188 strikeouts to 18 walks in 107 innings pitched.
Skenes boasts a fastball that can reach the triple digits and a wipeout slider that will have hitters flailing.
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Some draft experts have gone so far as to call him the best pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg. Pretty lofty heights for someone who almost didn’t play baseball.
Sporting News looks at Skenes’ rise and explains how he made it to LSU from the Air Force Academy.
There’s a simple reason why Skenes decided to transfer from Air Force — military service.
If he had remained at the academy, then he likely would have had to serve following graduation. The only way to avoid that was to transfer before the start of his junior year.
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“So even if you’re still in minor league baseball, major league baseball, if you’re still in the Air Force, they can pull it away from you, which isn’t a super common thing, but you see it occasionally,” Skenes told reporters ahead of LSU’s first day of fall practice in October. “I didn’t want anyone to take it out from under me.”
Prior to Air Force, pursuing a professional baseball career was never on his mind. Then it became a possibility as he developed into a two-way standout with the Falcons, and now it’s about to become a reality after one brilliant season with the Tigers.
Skenes has sung the praises of Air Force and lauded the academy for his development on and off the field. He still wants to serve his country when his playing days are done, but for now, it’s all about his route to the show.