Starting Pitchers Sweep Rookie of the Year Awards
NL Rookie of the Year:
The National League Rookie of the Year race in 2024 was extremely close throughout the season. The three finalists were Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill, and Jackson Chourio. After a long-awaited reveal, it was revealed that Paul Skenes has won the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year. Skenes had 23 first-place votes and seven second-place votes to take home the award. Merrill had seven first-place votes and 23 second-place votes, while Chourio had 26 third-place votes.
Skenes had one of the most impressive seasons a rookie has ever had. He is the first pitcher to win the award since Devin Williams took it home in 2020. Skenes finished the year with a 1.96 ERA, 0.947 WHIP, and an 11-3 record in 133 innings. He finished the season with the lowest-tracked ERA ever by a rookie. Skenes started the year in the Minor Leagues before making his MLB debut on May 11th. Since he made his debut, he strongly made his case for one of the best pitchers in the league.
With the elite season he had, Skenes also found himself as a National League Cy Young finalist along with Zack Wheeler and Chris Sale. In any other year, the Rookie of the Year would have been given to him unanimously. However, it was Jackson Merrill’s outstanding season that gave him competition, switching the odds back and forth for the whole year. Merrill finished the season with a .292 batting average and .826 OPS in 156 games. He played a crucial role in the Padres' playoff race and was even hitting in the heart of the order in the NLDS. Unfortunately for him, it just wasn’t enough to compete with a Cy Young-caliber season.
Skenes putting up this type of season is a great situation for the Pirates organization. After just one season at 22 years old, Skenes has established himself as the ace, and one of the best ones in the league at that. For the future, the Pirates will be able to put Skenes out on the mound every fifth day with extreme confidence he is going to give them a chance to win. With this young piece, they can build up the rest of the team to finally put together a competitive roster.
AL Rookie of the Year:
The American League Rookie of the Year race did not disappoint. The race was the second closest race in the American League all time. The finalists for the AL Rookie of the Year were Luis Gil, Colton Cowser, and Austin Wells. The winner was decided by just five total points, with Luis Gil just getting the edge over Colton Cowser. Gil had 15 first-place votes, 10 second-place votes, and a singular third-place vote to get to 106 total points. Cowser had 13 first-place votes, 11 second-place votes, and three third-place votes to get to 101 total points. Wells finished in third with three second-place votes and eight third-place votes.
While not as impressive as Skenes’ season in the National League, Gil still had an incredible season for a rookie. He finished 2024 with a 3.50 ERA, 1.193 WHIP, and a 15-7 record in 151.2 innings. He started the year off exceptionally well before cooling off back to a regular level. Although he had a couple of bumpy starts, it did not stop him from persevering to become one of the better pitchers in the American League. He played a huge role in helping the Yankees get to the number one seed in the American League. In the playoffs, Gil again proved to play a vital role for the powerhouse Yankees. He started on the mound in Game Four of the World Series, the only game the Yankees won in that series.
Gil will continue to play a big part in the Yankees' staff in the coming years. Proving to be one of the most reliable starting pitchers on the staff this season, he will continue to see himself get a good number of innings. The Yankees are in good hands with Gil if he continues to keep up his production. Being surrounded by guys like Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon will only help him to get even better.
