Pirates' Paul Skenes finalist for National League Cy Young and Rookie of the Year
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was named a finalist for the National League Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards.
The finalists for Major League Baseball's top awards — Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and MVP — were announced on Monday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The winners in each league will be revealed next week. Voting was conducted before the postseason, BBWAA said.
The three finalists for the NL Cy Young are Chris Sale, Zack Wheeler and Skenes. The three finalists for NL Rookie of the Year are Jackson Chourio, Jackson Merrill and Skenes.
In his rookie season, Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts and a 0.95 WHIP in 23 starts. After making his debut on May 11, Skenes posted the lowest ERA in the league. He was the first rookie pitcher to record at least 23 starts with a sub-2.00 ERA in a season since Scott Perry in 1918, according to StatsPerform.
He was also named the starting pitcher for the National League in the 2024 All-Star Game.
Skenes, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft out of LSU, has been adding hardware to his trophy collection since his rookie season ended. Last week, he was named Baseball Digest's National League Rookie of the Year. He was also named Baseball America's 2024 Rookie of the Year in October.
Skenes and his girlfriend, LSU gymnastics star Olivia Dunne, were the guest pickers on College Gameday this weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
