Paul Skenes has plenty of real baseball questions swirling around him right now, and they all start with what’s happening on the mound.
His fastball velocity is down. His command hasn’t been as crisp.
In his latest start, the Pirates lifted him after five innings and 65 pitches even though he allowed only one run. For a pitcher who spent his first two big league seasons making 99 mph look ordinary and touching triple digits with ease, topping out at 96.5 mph is enough to get people talking.
That part of the conversation makes sense. The part that doesn’t is what happened after a beach photo started making the rounds.
Skenes was photographed in Miami with his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, and somehow that was enough for people online to start treating his body like a public project. Social media star Livvy Dunne and Pirates ace boyfriend Paul Skenes made sure to check that off the list, hitting up a beach in Key Biscayne one day after the latter took the hill against the Marlins 🌊 📸: BACKGRID pic.twitter.com/ur9f2jgTPP
- Page Six (@PageSix) August 13, 2026
From there, the leap was immediate and ugly. Controversial sports pundit Dan Clark said Skenes is “simply not in shape for a pro athlete” and questioned whether he is “fully committed.” Others started guessing that any weight they think they see is behind the dip in velocity and stamina.
That’s not analysis. It’s speculation built on a beach picture.
The facts on the field are enough to discuss. Skenes is 9-11 with a 3.88 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.
Compared with the outrageous standard he set early in his career, those numbers can feel underwhelming. Compared with the average starting pitcher, they’re solid.
The concern over his velocity is real. So is the need to ask why a pitcher who lived around 99 mph is now having trouble getting to 97. And when the Pirates pull their ace after 65 pitches and say there’s nothing physically wrong, that invites even more scrutiny.
But those are baseball questions. They don’t justify picking apart how Skenes looks in a photo.
Nobody can tell from a picture what he weighs, what his target playing weight is, what his body-fat percentage might be or what his offseason plan looks like. Nobody knows what the Pirates’ medical and performance staff have asked him to do. Yet people are acting like they’ve got the whole answer.
That’s where the conversation crosses the line.
It’s one thing to talk about his fastball, his command, his mechanics and the way Pittsburgh is handling him. It’s another to decide that a player’s dedication can be measured by a shirtless photo at the beach.
Professional athletes are allowed to have lives. They’re allowed to take a day off, go outside and spend time with their significant others without it becoming evidence in some fake trial over their commitment.
Skenes deserves the criticism that comes with his performance. He doesn’t deserve body-shaming dressed up as baseball talk.
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