Paul Skenes becomes Second Pirate to win NL Rookie of the Year
Alex Stumpf for MLB.com
Paul Skenes is the winner of the 2023 Pitcher of the Year Award, awarded annually by the College Baseball Foundation. He became the first player in CBF history to win two separate awards presented by the foundation, taking home the 2022 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paul Skenes entered the 2024 season with the expectations of being the top pitching prospect of his generation. He will exit 2024 as the top rookie in the National League.
On Monday, Skenes was named the National League’s Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award winner by the Baseball Writers' Association of America after a historic rookie season. The Pirates pitcher edged out the Padres' Jackson Merrill and the Brewers' Jackson Chourio, with Skenes earning 23 of a potential 30 first-place votes and the other seven going to Merrill.
Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings during his rookie season. Spinning triple-digit heat, “splinkers” and a full arsenal of pitches, Skenes quickly took the Majors by storm -- so much so that he started the All-Star Game for the NL.
In his first full season of professional ball, the 2023 first overall pick led all NL pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched in ERA (1.96), strikeout rate (33.1% of batters and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings), WHIP (0.95) and strikeout rate minus walk rate (26.8%), all while holding hitters to a .198 batting average.
Skenes' 170 strikeouts were also a Pirates rookie record, shattering a mark that Cy Blanton had held for 87 years. Skenes' 1.96 ERA was the lowest of any rookie pitcher who made at least 20 starts in the Live Ball Era (since 1920).
Skenes is also one of three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award, which will be announced on MLB Network on Wednesday.
Skenes is just the second Pirate to win Rookie of the Year, joining Jason Bay, who did so in 2004.
