Paul Skenes was named Baseball Digest’s National League Rookie of the Year, one of many postseason honors expected for the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher following a phenomenal season.
Skenes joins American League winner Luis Gil of the New York Yankees to mark the third time in the 53 years that Baseball Digest has presented rookie of the year awards to pitchers. It’s the first sweep by pitchers since 2011, when Jeremy Hellickson (Tampa Bay Rays) and Craig Kimbrel (Atlanta Braves) won the honors.
Baseball Digest's National League Rookie of the Year: Paul Skenes pic.twitter.com/nAMBkPIPTV
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) November 7, 2024
Skenes received nine of the 11 first-place votes — the other two went to San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill — by an 11-member panel of baseball writers and broadcasters, including the six contributors who provided Baseball Digest’s 2024 division previews.
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Skenes ranked first among all qualified NL rookies in ERA (1.96), batting average against (.198) and WHIP (0.947), tied for second in wins (11) and ranked second in strikeouts (170) and winning percentage (.786). The No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes also became the first player to start the All-Star Game the following season after he was selected.
Skenes is the fifth Pirates player to be named NL Rookie of the Year by Baseball Digest, joining Johnny Ray (1982), Jason Kendall (1996), Warren Morris (1999) and Jason Bay (2004).
