Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes named National League Rookie of the Year

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes’ record-setting first MLB season allowed him to take home some much-deserved hardware.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced on Monday evening that it had honored Skenes with its annual Rookie of the Year award for the National League. He is the second player in Pirates franchise history to win Rookie of the Year, joining outfielder Jason Bay, who did so after the 2004 season. Skenes is also a finalist for the NL Cy Young award, the winner of which will be announced on Wednesday night.

Skenes, 22, earned 23 of 30 possible first-place votes. San Diego outfielder Jackson Merrill earned the other seven first-place votes and the other 23 second-place votes. Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio finished third and Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga finished fourth.

While appearing on MLB Network on Monday night, Skenes discussed his impressive season and his latest accomplishment.

“It’s cool,” Skenes said. “I think the biggest thing is just stay present through it all. That’s helped me this year. I’ve surrounded myself with good people, I think, and I’ve been super lucky to experience all the things that I have.

“So, just going to try to continue to stay present and enjoy the ride.”

Skenes, born in Fullerton, Calif., started the year with Triple-A Indianapolis, yet was called up to the big leagues to make his debut on May 11 at PNC Park against the Cubs. In the process, Skenes became the quickest No. 1 overall pick to reach the majors in 35 years, doing so in 307 days.

The right-hander made 22 more starts in his rookie season, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, which ranked lowest among qualified NL rookies. He also limited opposing hitters to a combined .198 batting average, the lowest against a Pirates starting pitcher in team history among hurlers who made at least 16 starts.

Skenes, who posted a 0.947 WHIP, was tied for the team lead in wins and paced all Pirates pitchers with 170 strikeouts across just 133 innings.

Twice, Skenes carried no-hitters after six innings, first against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in his second career start and once more against the Brewers in his final start before the All-Star break. The product of both LSU and Air Force was so sublime in the season’s first half that he was tabbed to start the 2024 All-Star Game for the NL.

Not only was Skenes the first Pirates rookie pitcher to be named to the All-Star Game, but he was also just the fifth rookie pitcher to ever start the midsummer classic. He joined Hideo Nomo, Fernando Valenzuela, Mark Fidrych and Dave Stenhouse in doing so. Skenes was also the first No. 1 overall pick to make the All-Star Game the season after his draft year.

Albeit with a limited workload at the end of the season, Skenes continued his run of dominance in the second half. Over his last 12 starts of the year, Skenes posted a 2.03 ERA and yielded only three home runs across his final 66 2/3 innings.

Ultimately, Skenes outlasted a couple of other superb rookies for the coveted hardware.

Merrill hit .292 across 156 games with 24 home runs, 31 doubles, six triples and 90 RBIs. Merrill, 21, also stole 16 bases and was named to the All-Star Game en route to helping San Diego qualify for the postseason. The Padres fell to the Dodgers in the National League Division series.

Chourio, meanwhile, had a similarly stellar campaign. Chourio, 20, hit. 275 in 148 games with 21 home runs, 29 doubles, four triples and 79 RBIs. He also swiped 22 bases and had the team’s third-highest Wins Above Replacement (3.8) to help the Brewers play postseason baseball. They lost to the Mets in the wild-card round.

Despite their respective individual success, Pirates manager Derek Shelton made his case for Skenes’ rookie of the year bid after his penultimate start of the season on Sept. 22 against the Reds.

“I respect what the two Jacksons are doing for sure, and they’re both really good players,” Shelton said, “but I think when we start talking about guys that are doing things that are historic, that’s why it puts him in that category for me.

“That’s why I feel that he deserves to be a winner. Did we expect this? I don’t think anybody expects this because we’re seeing things that have never been done.”

Skenes’ impressive exploits drew the respect not only of his manager but also of current and former teammates. Veteran left-hander Martin Perez was particularly impressed with Skenes after his second career start and spoke highly of his potential — both in the near and distant future.

“He’s awesome,” Perez said in May. “He’s going to have a great career, and I think he’s going to be one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball.”

“Today is a very exciting day for Paul, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and for me,” Pirates owner Bob Nutting added in a statement. “While expectations for Paul were certainly high, he exceeded what most thought was possible during his first Major League season. He brought tremendous competitiveness and talent to our pitching staff. We’re extremely proud of all that Paul has accomplished during his historic rookie season.

“I look forward to the great future ahead for him and our organization.”