Paul Skenes wins National League Rookie of the Year
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was named the National League Rookie of the Year on Monday.
Skenes beat out Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres for the 2024 NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award. Skenes got 23 of a possible 30 first-place votes, while Merrill finished second with seven first-place votes and 23 second-place votes. The award was voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
The 22-year-old pitcher took Major League Baseball by storm this year, recording a 1.96 ERA on his way to an 11-3 record. He added 170 strikeouts and a 0.95 WHIP in 23 starts for the Pirates.
Skenes, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft out of LSU, made his debut in May and became one of the league's top pitchers. Skenes posted the lowest ERA in MLB after joining the Pirates and 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.
Skenes, who was tabbed as the starting pitcher for the National League in the 2024 All-Star Game, set the Pirates rookie record for strikeouts in a season.
On Wednesday, the NL Cy Young Award will be announced. The three finalists are Chris Sale, Zack Wheeler and Skenes.
Paul Skenes MLB awards history
Skenes continues to add hardware after winning the NL's ROY on Monday.
The pitcher was named Baseball Digest's National League Rookie of the Year earlier this month and Baseball America's 2024 Rookie of the Year in October.
