Firstly, take a look at Skenes’ throwing arm and where it’s positioned. In 2026, it’s a lot higher, with less tension built up, as it seems more relaxed in this position. This is a byproduct of the loss of tension Skenes should still have built up.
In 2025, his arm is still lower, almost dragging behind him, which is due to the tension he still has built up, as it’s getting ready to “explode” forward. His upper half is also less open at this stage in 2025, he’s more engaged in his lower half, and he’s overall in a better position to fire from this spot in his motion.
Once again, we can connect all of these inefficiencies we’ve discussed through each of these frames back to the initial causes for concern. Without tension built up through engaging his lower half, breaking his hands later, and more, he’s not able to properly explode, which can explain the velocity dip, different fastball shape, and poorer command.
Also, even though it’s a small difference, Skenes’ hand positioning in the later frames could explain the difference in arm angle. With Skenes opening up sooner, having less tension built up in his arm, and more, it makes sense that he’d naturally deliver more over the top, since nothing is keeping his arm back and preventing him from delivering the baseball.
The Next Steps Forward
After diving deep into the cause for concern with Skenes’ struggles so far in 2026 and the mechanical inefficiencies he’s currently experiencing, we’re left with one final question: What are the next steps forward for the former Cy Young Award winner?
First and foremost, Skenes needs to correct his mechanics, getting closer to his 2025 delivery as opposed to the 2026 delivery that’s full of mechanical inefficiencies. All of the struggles we touched on in the causes for concern section can be explained by the issues with his mechanics.
In short, once these weaknesses are hammered out, a lot of these struggles should be cleaned up, including his velocity, command, fastball shape, and more.
This may be a trial-and-error process, and it’s important to remember that this is completely okay. It’s normal for stars to struggle, experience their old habits creep back in, and go through ruts like this. If anything, the near-perfection we had seen out of Skenes was more abnormal, and this will be important to remember through this process.