Rookie of the Year Awards Given to Starting Pitchers Paul Skenes and Luis Gil
Paul Skenes, the star right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, concluded his inaugural season in the major leagues by being declared the recipient of the National League Rookie of the Year award on Monday evening.
In a vote conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of American, Skenes received 23 out of 30 first-place votes, totaling 136 points.
Jackson Merrill, the outfielder for the San Diego Padres, came in second place with seven first-place votes and 104 points. Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers (26) and Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs (four) were third and fourth, respectively.
In the American League, Luis Gil, the right-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees, was declared the winner, narrowly beating out Colton Cowser of the Baltimore Orioles.
Gil received 15 first-place votes and 10 second-place votes, accumulating a total of 106 points. Cowser (101) received 13 first-place votes and 11 second-place votes.
Skenes' impressive performance throughout the season caught the attention of many, as he quickly proved himself against major league hitters after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 from LSU. Prior to that, he spent two years playing for Air Force.
When asked about his success, Skenes credited the support of those around him, stating, "I've been fortunate to have great people around me. I try to stay present and enjoy the journey."
Skenes is the first starting pitcher to win the NL Rookie of the Year award since Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets in 2014. He is also the first player from the Pirates to receive this honor since outfielder Jason Bay in 2004.
Skenes is the fifth player to be selected as the No. 1 overall pick and win the Rookie of the Year award. The most recent was Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros in 2015. The others include Bryce Harper (2012 with the Nationals), Darryl Strawberry (1983 with the Mets), and Bob Horner (1978 with the Braves).
At just 22 years old, Skenes had an impressive record of 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, striking out 170 batters in 133 innings. He is also one of the top three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award.
Skenes was also selected as the starting pitcher for the NL team in the All-Star Game, and only allowed 94 hits in 23 starts.
Looking ahead, Skenes said, "The best part is that we can now wrap up this past year and look forward to the next one."
Merrill, who turned 21 in April, had an impressive batting average of .292 with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs, earning him a spot on the NL All-Star team. He was originally a shortstop but was moved to center field during spring training, where he proved to be a clutch player, hitting six game-tying or game-winning home runs in the eighth inning or later.
Chourio, at just 20 years and 185 days old, became the youngest player in MLB history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a single season. The only other players to achieve this milestone in their "age-20 seasons" were Vada Pinson (1959 for the Reds) and Mike Trout (2012 for the Angels), but both had turned 21 before reaching the mark. Chourio had a batting average of .275 with 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 148 games.
This is the first time since 1981 that starting pitchers have won the Rookie of the Year award in both leagues. On that occasion, it was two left-handers, Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers and Dave Righetti of the Yankees.
Gil, who turned 26 in June, had a record of 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts for the Yankees.
Through an interpreter, Gil expressed his excitement, saying, "This means so much to me. It's incredible. I'm so happy and excited about this."
He is the 10th player from the Yankees to receive this award, and the first since outfielder Aaron Judge in 2017. Other notable winners from the Yankees include catcher Thurman Munson in 1970 and short
