Yankees' Luis Gil named Rookie of the Year after electric return from Tommy John surgery

NEW YORK — Various tattoos grace Luis Gil’s body, yet it’s the three words lettering the front of his neck that always get attention.

“GOD BLESS ME,” they read in all caps. The ink, acquired last December, is a reminder, a motivator and a thank you, as Gil leaned heavily on his faith after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022.

Others have come to see the words as a symbol of toughness. After all, one doesn’t get a neck tattoo without a high tolerance for pain.

“It hurt a lot,” Gil, whose 2-year-old daughter also provides inspiration, said earlier this season. “But the wrist is more painful.”

Both of Gil’s arms are covered in imagery, starting at the wrists. On the right side, green, vine-like art leads into a stem and a red rose, among other designs. When Gil fires his high-90s heater, a blur of those tats — and a buzzing baseball — whip toward opponents.

On Monday, Gil’s right arm received a different kind of decoration, as the 26-year-old earned Rookie of the Year honors after going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts over 29 starts and 151 2/3 innings in 2024. Gil, who debuted over six starts in 2021, beat out batterymate Austin Wells and Baltimore’s Colton Cowser in the American League while becoming the 10th Yankee to win the award.

The Yankees’ last Rookie of the Year was Aaron Judge in 2017. A pinstriped pitcher had not won the award since Dave Righetti took it home in 1981.

For Gil, the hardware puts a satisfying bow on a season that started with minimal expectations and no defined role.

After pitching in just four Single-A innings at the end of last season — Gil’s first since surgery — the Dominican native seemed destined to start the 2024 campaign in the minors. In fact, the Yankees set those plans in motion midway through spring training, optioning the flamethrower to minor league camp on March 3 despite a strong showing in exhibition play.

Then Gerrit Cole came down with a case of shoulder inflammation. With the Yankees suddenly in need of a fifth starter, Gil “kicked the door in,” as manager Aaron Boone repeatedly recalled throughout the year.

“He blew past probably all of our expectations,” Boone said at the end of the regular season. “We weren’t really sure what to expect going into spring training, other than the fact that we knew a young pitcher in our organization with a lot of talent was healthy and back.”

In telling the story of how Gil claimed the job, Boone and other Yankees frequently mentioned the pitcher’s performance against the Phillies on March 11. With Philadelphia boasting a close-to-regular-season lineup that day, Gil fanned eight and allowed just one hit over 3 2/3 scoreless innings.

The outing served as a preview of things to come as Gil, already armed with an electric fastball, developed his slider, change-up and overall persona on the mound.

“It means a lot to be back here,” Gil said after his last regular-season start. “I was out for quite some time, so to be able to be here and come back strong and put together a good season means a lot. I’m extremely happy and satisfied.”

All season long, Gil’s workload and usage were a topic of conversation. Fresh off of Tommy John, some wondered if he would end up in the bullpen, especially as he approached an unprecedented innings count.

However, Gil held up well — he spent a small amount of time on the injured list with a lower back strain down the stretch — and remained a starter for the entire season. Then he logged two pedestrian starts in the playoffs, allowing six earned runs over eight innings after not appearing in the ALDS.

“He’s had a great year,” said Wells, who caught Gil 13 times in 2024. “Being a rookie starting pitcher for the Yankees and putting up what he did, he’s been amazing. To be able to be a part of that success with him has been a lot of fun. He’s gonna continue to be a big piece for us.”

With a significant award and a mostly-healthy season now under his belt, the next steps in Gil’s development should focus on consistency and command. As dominant as he was at times in 2024, he lacked in both departments, though that’s to be expected for a rather inexperienced pitcher coming off a major injury.

Gil’s 2.1 BB% led all starters who threw at least 150 innings this past season.

Wells, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, enjoyed his own coming of age season, establishing himself as a strong defender behind the plate before becoming the Yankees’ go-to cleanup hitter.

While an end-of-season slump surely hurt the 25-year-old’s vote share and lingered into the postseason, Wells slashed .229/.322/.395 with 13 home runs, 55 RBIs, a 105 wRC+ and a 3.4 fWAR. He also finished third in Catcher Framing Runs and 14th in Strike Rate, making him one of baseball’s better receivers.

“It’s a heavy responsibility to be a big league catcher, let alone be a big league catcher for the New York Yankees,” Boone said in September. “He’s handled all that really well and shown that ability from jump. Now we’ve really seen him start to become a force offensively, too.”

Cowser’s more productive offensive season powered the 24-year-old’s second-place finish, as the Orioles’ outfielder hit .242/.321/.447 with 24 homers, 69 RBIs, a 120 wRC+ and a 4.0 fWAR while adding strong defense.

Gil wasn’t the only pitcher to win Rookie of the Year on Monday, as Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes beat out Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio and San Diego’s Jackson Merrill for the National League’s award.

Skenes, who is also a Cy Young finalist, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 23 starts and 133 innings.