Not only the team, but even his girlfriend came out to find a baseball card. The popularity of ‘monster rookie’ Paul Skins (Pittsburgh Pirates) is that great.
MLB.com reported on the 16th that the Pittsburgh team is looking for a baseball card with the ‘debut patch’ of the uniform the Skins wore in their major league debut on May 12.
This is a rare card that is only one of its kind in the world, included in a card package released on the 14th by Topps, a professional baseball card manufacturer. This card contains his handwritten autograph along with Skins’ debut patch.
Pittsburgh, which searched for the card directly at the club level, offered a huge ‘reward’ to secure the card. First of all, you get two season tickets for a seat behind home plate that can be used for 30 years, two autographed Skins uniforms, and playing softball at PNC Park under the guidance of a coach from Pittsburgh. Not only that, but during the spring camp, events such as personal tours, meetings with the Skins, batting training, and warm-ups were also prepared.
Here, a strong supporter came forward: Libby Dunn, Skins’ girlfriend. Dawn, who is a gymnast and a ‘super influencer’ boasting 8 million followers on TikTok and 5.4 million followers on Instagram, posted on her social network service (SNS), “If you find the card, come see Pittsburgh’s home game in my suite with me.” “We can watch it together,” he suggested.
It is doubtful whether Pittsburgh will be able to get the card even with such a special award. MLB.com said, “The value of this card is expected to be more than six figures ($100,000, approximately 139.6 million won). “It is doubtful whether Pittsburgh’s offer will be accepted,” he explained.
This incident can be said to once again prove how much expectations Skins is receiving.
Skins, who had been highly anticipated as the ‘second Stephen Strasburg’ since his college days, joined Pittsburgh as the first overall pick in the 2023 rookie draft and debuted in the Major League Baseball (MLB) in May of this year.
He appeared in 23 games, pitched 133 innings, went 11-3, had an ERA of 1.96, and struck out 170 times. He quickly emerged as Pittsburgh’s ace. He easily threw 100 miles (about 160.9 km) and the power of other breaking balls was also enormous. He was named in the final three candidates for the National League (NL) Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year Award announced after the season. Although winning the Cy Young Award is a bit difficult, he is expected to win the Rookie of the Year Award. MLB.com said, “Skins’ first season was the greatest season in Pittsburgh’s history. He recorded 170 strikeouts, a new record for a franchise rookie, and was even an NL starting pitcher in the All-Star Game.”
