Under Maintenance
We deeply apologize for interrupting your reading but Vendetta is currently undergoing some important maintenance! You may experience some layout shifts, slow loading times and dififculties in navigating.
Paul Skenes wins 2024 NL Rookie of the Year
Paul Skenes wins 2024 NL Rookie of the Year
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes took home the National League’s Rookie of the Year award for the 2024 season, MLB announced Monday.
Skenes earned the award over San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, the two other finalists for the award. Skenes earned 23 of the 30 first-place votes with the other seven going to Merrill, who was one of the most electrifying two-way outfielders across baseball in 2024. Chourio earned 26 third-place votes, with Chicago’s Shota Imanaga earning the other four.
Even though his debut didn’t come until a month into the season, Skenes was historically dominant as a rookie. He posted the fourth-lowest rookie ERA of the live-ball era among starters that tossed at least 100 innings, trailing only Steve Rogers, Dave Brown and Tom Williams, according to Stathead. He is also the only rookie arm to have a sub-2.5 ERA with a 30.0 percent strikeout rate or greater (33.1 percent), too.
According to Baseball Savant, he ranked in the 87th percentile or better in barrel rate allowed, groundball rate, average fastball velocity, expected batting average, expected era and strikeout rate.
The Pirates finished in last in the NL Central for the fourth time in six years in 2024, but Skenes’ emergence as an elite-level ace was easily the biggest positive. The former No. 1 pick joins Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Daryl Strawberry and Bob Horner as the only other No. 1 overall picks to win the award. That’s not bad company at all.
Ever since he was drafted in 2023, he’s far exceeded any of the wildest expectations people had for them. If he was called up earlier (or started the season with the big league club), he’d be a legitimate contender for the NL Cy Young award–that’s how good he was. It’s only the start, too.
***
This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.
Click Here for more MLB Content
Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube
Check out the Vendetta Shop
