Pirates phenom Paul Skenes wins NL Rookie of the Year after dominant start to MLB career

There was never a doubt, but MLB made it official on Monday night as Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes was named NL Rookie of the Year after starting off his career in dominant fashion. 

Fellow rookie pitcher Luis Gil of the New York Yankees won the AL Rookie of the Year award as well, just beating out Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser in voting. His Yankees teammate, Austin Wells, was also among the finalists for the award.

For Skenes, he beat out a loaded field that included San Diego Padres standout outfielder Jackson Merrill and Milwaukee Brewers budding star Jackson Chourio, also an outfielder. Skenes finished with 23 of 30 first-place votes. 

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But it was hard not to give the award to Skenes after posting one of the best rookie campaigns for a pitcher in MLB history. 

The hype train for Skenes was real the second he was drafted first overall by Pittsburgh out of LSU following the Tigers’ national championship season in 2023. Pirates fans were hoping he would be up for the 2024 campaign right away, but the organization chose to put him in Triple-A to start the year instead. 

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Through seven games, Skenes was clearly a level above his competition, posting a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts over seven outings. 

The Pirates finally gave the fans, and baseball fans in general, what they were hoping to see on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs, as Skenes made his big league debut at PNC Park. He went on to pitch four innings, giving up three earned runs and striking out seven over four innings. 

Though not the most impressive outing, his second didn’t disappoint as he struck out 11 Cubs and didn’t allow a hit over six innings of work this time. 

As he continued to dominate MLB hitters, Skenes was brought into the Cy Young Award conversation. With that being the case, Skenes was voted an All-Star and had the pleasure of starting for the National League against the American League in Arlington, Texas, in July. 

Skenes, despite being in a massive spotlight alongside his LSU gymnast/social media star girlfriend Livvy Dunne, was cool as a cucumber as he got out of the first inning scoreless despite seeing the Yankees’ twin-headed monster of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in that frame.

Overall, Skenes pitched to a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts this season, which is the lowest for any rookie with at least 20 starts dating back to 1920, per ESPN. It was also the lowest era in baseball this season among pitchers with at least 130 innings thrown. 

The Pirates put a cap on Skenes’ innings this year so as to not overwork him. He pitched on extra rest in all his starts, though he made the best of it by posting 133 innings. 

His final two scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium in September capped a remarkable season that Pirates fans hope he continues having as he continues to cement himself among the aces in MLB.

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