Alec Burleson vs Paul Skenes

The Almanac's Take

Burleson's left-handed bat gets the platoon edge against Skenes, and his season line — .283/.339/.813 OPS across 392 PA — is a legitimate foundation to build on. Skenes is sharp: 1.05 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, and a 5.57 K/BB ratio over 110 innings, so contact won't come easy. The 21-PA head-to-head is too thin to carry much weight, though Burleson does show an 87.4 mph average exit velocity and an 8-for-21 clip against him — color, not conviction. Skenes leans heavily on his four-seamer (35.9%) and splitter (25.6%), a combo that will test Burleson's 14.8% strikeout rate.

Career head-to-head

AVG

.400

8-for-20

PA

21

HR

0

K

4

BB

1

Pitches seen

78

Avg exit velo

87.4 mph

Career meetings in the Statcast era (2015–present). Even a clear edge over a handful of plate appearances is a small sample — read it as color, not a projection.

Pitch mix to the batter

Plate-appearance log

• 2026-04-30Single · Changeup 87.6 mph · 74.0 mph EV
• 2026-04-30Single · Split-Finger 93.2 mph · 109.6 mph EV
• 2026-04-30Strikeout · Sweeper 84.3 mph
• 2025-07-01Double Play · Changeup 88.5 mph · 71.1 mph EV
• 2025-07-01Field Out · Changeup 88.6 mph · 54.3 mph EV
• 2025-05-06Double · 4-Seam Fastball 98.8 mph · 97.1 mph EV
• 2025-05-06Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 98.4 mph · 103.0 mph EV
• 2025-05-06Strikeout · Split-Finger 93.9 mph
• 2025-04-08Single · Curveball 82.7 mph · 95.8 mph EV
• 2025-04-08Field Out · Split-Finger 92.4 mph · 90.6 mph EV
• 2025-04-08Strikeout · Split-Finger 94.6 mph
• 2024-09-16Walk · Split-Finger 93.8 mph
• 2024-09-16Single · Split-Finger 92.8 mph · 82.6 mph EV
• 2024-09-16Field Out · Split-Finger 94.7 mph · 89.2 mph EV
• 2024-07-23Single · 4-Seam Fastball 98.8 mph · 101.7 mph EV
• 2024-07-23Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 99.0 mph · 69.7 mph EV
• 2024-07-23Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 98.8 mph · 93.9 mph EV
• 2024-07-23Field Out · Split-Finger 95.3 mph · 66.8 mph EV
• 2024-06-11Single · Curveball 82.6 mph · 98.0 mph EV
• 2024-06-11Single · Curveball 81.5 mph · 100.7 mph EV
• 2024-06-11Strikeout · Curveball 84.3 mph