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Baseball America goes against the grain with award for Pirates' Paul Skenes

By Emma Lingan |
Sep 28, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Pirates flame-throwing phenom Paul Skenes has officially won his first Rookie of the Year Award, and hopefully, it won't be his last.

Last week, Baseball America named the 2022-year-old right-hander its rookie of the year, calling his 2024 campaign "strongest seasons by a rookie pitcher in the Wild Card Era." Skenes joins Andrew McCutchen (2009) as the only other Pirates player to receive the honor.

The Pirates selected Skenes with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut less than a year later, and he certainly came as advertised. In his rookie season, which began May 11, Skenes went 11-3 with a stellar 1.96 ERA. He recorded 170 strikeouts, walked just 32 batters in 133 innings, and allowed only 10 home runs over 23 starts.

Known for his four-seam fastball that regularly hits triple digits, Skenes threw more pitches at 100 mph or faster than anybody else in baseball this year – exactly 100 of them. Skenes has already thrown the sixth-most pitches at 100 mph among starters in the Statcast Era. Remember, he has just one season under his belt – and he didn't even debut until May.

Power isn't everything, though, and Skenes has more than just that. Baseball America put Skenes' historic season into perspective, pointing out that he is one of just 10 different pitchers in the last 30 seasons who have pitched to a sub-2.00 ERA in a season of 120 innings or more.

Pirates' Paul Skenes narrowly favored to win 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Award

One would think that Skenes' historic season – which also included a starting nod in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game – would be enough for him to lock up the National League Rookie of the Year Award, as voted upon by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. But the fact that there's still a debate just speaks to the caliber of rookies in this year's class.

Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio helped lead their respective teams to the playoffs and had exceptional seasons in their own right. But no one is doing what Skenes is doing. He is the rookie of the year.

Baseball America has made its choice. Now, it's time for the BBWAA to follow suit.

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