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Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes Wins National League Rookie of the Year, Makes Rare History

The righty joined a short list of No. 1 overall draft picks to win the prestigious award.

Brady Farkas

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) reacts on the field before a game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on Aug 27.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) reacts on the field before a game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on Aug 27. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Congratulations are in order for Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes, who won the National League Rookie of the Year Award on Monday night. In addition to the Rookie of the Year, Skenes is also a finalist for the National League Cy Young Award.

With the Rookie of the Year win, Skenes joined a rare list in baseball history. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

No. 1 overall picks to win Rookie of the Year:

2024 Paul Skenes (drafted 2023)
2015 Carlos Correa (drafted 2012)
2012 Bryce Harper (drafted 2010)
1983 Darryl Strawberry (drafted 1980)
1978 Bob Horner (drafted 1978)
>>June (now July) primary draft

Skenes beat out Jackson Merrill (San Diego Padres) and Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers) for the award.

Skenes finished his rookie season at 11-3 with that 1.96 ERA. He struck out 170 batters in just 133.0 innings and looked every bit the part of an ace moving into 2025. Skenes made his major league debut in early May after just a handful of minor league starts and instantly made his presence felt. With Skenes and Jared Jones, the Pirates and their fans finally look to have some optimism moving forward.

Armed with an upper-90s fastball and his power "splinker," Skenes also earned the start for the National League in the All-Star Game. He worked a scoreless first inning in his appearance there, getting out Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson and Aaron Judge. He walked Juan Soto.

In addition to his on-the-field accomplishments, Skenes also brought more eyeballs to the game through his relationship with superstar influencer and LSU gymnast, Livvy Dunne.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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