MLB announced its Rookie of the Year winners for the 2024 season on Monday night, recognizing the emerging stars who impressed most during their first tastes of big league action.
From the National League, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes took home the award, despite not debuting in MLB until May 11.
Skenes, 22, made 23 starts during his rookie year, registering an excellent 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. He was a revelation for the Pirates' starting rotation, showing off his triple-digit velocity on a nightly basis. He became the first rookie pitcher to start in the All-Star Game since 1995, and is also a finalist for the 2024 Cy Young Award.
Skenes, who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft, edged out fellow emerging stars such as San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio and Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga for the award. Skenes earned 23 of 30 first-place votes and seven second-place votes.
The moment Paul Skenes won the 2024 NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award! 👏 pic.twitter.com/XzldDCuKeT
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 18, 2024
Skenes is the first Pirates pitcher in franchise history to win Rookie of the Year, and the first player since Jason Bay to take home the award for the franchise.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil was named the American League’s Rookie of the Year. Gil, 26, made 29 starts to the tune of a 3.50 ERA this year. He struck out 171 batters across 151 2/3 innings, posting a 15–7 record on the mound. He bested fellow Yankees rookie Austin Wells and Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser for the annual honors, with Gil getting 15 first-place votes and Cowser getting 13.
Gil had made seven MLB starts prior to the 2024 season, having debuted back in 2021. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2022, causing him to over a year of action before he returned to the bigs and made up for lost time.
The last time two pitchers were named MLB's Rookie of the Years was back in 2011, when Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays won in the AL and Atlanta Braves reliever Craig Kimbrel won for the NL.
The last Yankee to win Rookie of the Year was Aaron Judge in 2017. The franchise hadn't had a pitcher win the award since 1981 when Dave Righetti did so.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Skenes, Luis Gil Named MLB Rookies of the Year in Close Votes.
