Paul Skenes has been selected the Baseball Digest/Inside Edge MLB pitcher of the year by landslide voting, making him the first Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to win the publication’s award.
Skenes, who won Baseball Digest’s National League rookie of the year award last year, led the major leagues with a 1.97 ERA and tied for second-most strikeouts in the NL (216) in 2025.
His 1.9647 ERA over the first 55 starts of his MLB career is the third-lowest since it became an official statistic in both leagues in 1913 — behind only Al Mamaux’s 1.93 (1914-16) and Dutch Ruether’s 1.9614 (1917-20).
Skenes received 21 first-place votes, two second-place votes and one third-place vote from the independently submitted ballots of a 24-member panel of longtime baseball observers, which included writers, broadcasters, former players, managers and executives. Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers received one first-place vote, 18 second-place votes and four third-place votes. Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox got two first-place votes along with four second-place votes and 11 third-place votes.
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was voted MLB Player of the Year, and Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman was voted MLB Relief Pitcher of the Year. This is the 57th year Baseball Digest has awarded an MLB Player of the Year and 32nd year an MLB Pitcher of the Year. The MLB Relief Pitcher of the Year Award was first presented in 2012 and annually since 2015.
