Pittsburgh Pirates ace right-hander Paul Skenes capped his first major league campaign by being named winner of the National League Rookie of the Year on Monday night.
Skenes received 23 of 30 first-place votes for 136 points in balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of American.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill was second with seven first-place votes and 104 points. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (26) was third and Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga (four) was fourth.
In the American League, New York Yankees right-hander Luis Gil was the winner, edging Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser.
Gil received 15 first-place votes and 10 seconds for 106 points, while Cowser (101) got 13 firsts and 11 seconds.
Skenes’ strong campaign opened eyes as he quickly handled major league hitters after being the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 out of LSU. He spent his first two college seasons at Air Force.
“I’ve surrounded myself with good people,” Skenes told MLB Network of his success. “I’ve been super lucky to experience all the things that I have. I try to continue to stay present and enjoy the ride.”
Skenes is the first starting pitcher to win the NL award since Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets in 2014. He is the first Pirate to win the honor since outfielder Jason Bay in 2004.
Skenes is the fifth No. 1 overall pick to win Rookie of the Year. Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros was the most recent in 2015. The others are Bryce Harper (2012 with Nationals), Darryl Strawberry (1983, Mets) and Bob Horner (1978, Braves).
Skenes, who turned 22 in May, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. He is also one of three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award.
Skenes was the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star Game. He allowed just 94 hits in 23 starts.
“The coolest part is we can put a bow on this past year and we can kind of look forward to next year,” he said.
Merrill, who turned 21 in April, batted .292 with 24 homers and 90 RBIs and was a member of the NL All-Star team.
Merrill was a shortstop by trade with the Padres moving him to center field during spring training. He proved to be a big-time clutch player, hitting six tying or game-winning homers in the eighth inning or later.
Chourio is the youngest player in major league history to record a 20-homer, 20-steal, reaching the mark at 20 years, 185 days. Vada Pinson (1959 for the Reds) and Mike Trout (2012 of the Angels) also did it in their “age-20 seasons,” but both turned 21 before reaching the milestone.
Chourio batted .275 with 21 homers and 22 steals in 148 games.
This was the first time since 1981 that starting pitchers won the award in both leagues. On that occasion, it was a pair left-handers — Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers and Dave Righetti of the Yankees.
Gil, who turned 26 in June, went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts for the Yankees.
“It means so much to me,” Gil said through an interpreter. “It’s incredible. I’m so happy and excited about this.”
He is the 10th Yankee to win the award and the first since outfielder Aaron Judge in 2017. Among the other winners are catcher Thurman Munson in 1970 and shortstop Derek Jeter in 1996.
“When you come up as a rookie player, first of all your dream is to make it to the big leagues,” Gil said. “But once you get there, you want to contribute, you want to do your job, you want to help the team. To be in the same line as those guys, those guys are legends.”
Gil struck out 171 in 151 2/3 innings and compiled a 1.19 WHIP.
Cowser, 24, batted .242 with 24 homers, 24 doubles and 69 RBIs in 153 games.
He had struggled during a cameo in 2023 by batting .l15 in 61 at-bats over 26 games.
Yankees catcher Austin Wells (17) was third in AL balloting, just ahead of Oakland Athletics right-hander Mason Miller (16). Cleveland Guardians right-hander Cade Smith (12) was fifth.
–Field Level Media
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