Paul Skenes wins the NL award, Luis Gil in the AL

On By Littum

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Paul Skenes took just 10 months to go from the No. 1 overall pick to a major league workhorse, an ace whose dominance and stamina after the sixth inning seemed to hail from a bygone era.

Monday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates the right-hander’s dominance was rewarded with the National League Rookie of the Year award.

Skenes prevailed San Diego Padres midfielder Jackson Merrillwhose excellence over a full 162 games nearly elevated him to the Padres’ first top rookie honor since Benito Santiago in 1987. But Skenes received 23 of 30 first-place votes, edging out Merrill, 133-104. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio was third.

New York Yankees right-hander Luis Gil won the American League honor in a very close race, earning 15 first-place votes Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowserwhich received 13 first-place votes. Gil’s 106-101 margin of victory was the second-closest margin since the award switched to a three-person vote in 1980.

Skenes, 22, was a returning phenomenon in an era when pitching has become more specialized and starters who last deep into games are rare. His 100-mph fastball, devastating “splinker” and putaway slider allowed him to make the rapid ascent from a national title at LSU, to the first overall pick by Pittsburgh and then one of the game’s most feared power pitchers.

Skenes posted an 11-3 mark and 1.96 ERA in 23 starts, striking out 170 in 133 innings. It took him just two starts to announce his presence, as he struck out 11 over six hitless innings at Wrigley Field to earn his first major league win, kick-starting a 12-start stretch in which he posted a 1.64 ERA and pitched at least six innings with two or fewer runs given up 11 times.

That run earned him the starting nod in July’s All-Star Game, and he finished strong, giving up just one earned run in 24 September innings.

Skenes was not recalled from the minors until May 11, 40 games into the Pirates’ season. But 22 dazzling starts were enough to convince the selectors that it was more than enough. Skenes is the Pirates’ second ever Rookie of the Year, and is included Jason Baywho won the award in 2004.

In 2025, Skenes will be an Opening Day Pirate — he’s a pretty good bet to earn the starting job — and looks forward to expanding his workload from 22 starts to 30-plus, perhaps stretching his innings pitched toward 200.

Skenes is also a finalist for the NL Cy Young, and while he likely won’t beat Atlanta’s Chris Sale and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler for the honor, he’s already enjoying what might be possible over a full season next year.

“It’s going to be a unique opportunity, definitely a challenge to do it. It starts now,” he said on a conference call after winning the rookie honor. “The offseason is flying by and I can’t wait for spring training.

“The biggest thing will be to prove it over a whole year next season.”

Gil, 26, won 15 games and posted a 3.50 ERA after sitting out the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery. He is the first Yankee to win Rookie of the Year awards since Aaron Judge in 2017. Cowser hit 24 home runs with a .768 OPS while playing elite defense in left field for Baltimore. New York’s Austin Wells finished third, while substitutes Cade Smith from Cleveland and Oakland’s Mason Miller each received a first-place vote.

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