Paul Skenes Winning Rookie of Year 'Important' for Pirates
A historic rookie season for Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes was capped by winning the National League Rookie of the Year, making him the first pitcher and second player in franchise history to earn the award, joining outfielder Jason Bay in 2004.
While there's no disputing the importance of the individual accomplishment, Pirates manager Derek Shelton noted the importance of it for the rest of the franchise. It was also proof to Shelton that the team handled the star right-handed pitcher properly, paving the way for one of the greatest rookie seasons in baseball history.
"I think it's really important for the organization," Shelton said. "Especially when it's a homegrown player, a guy that got to the big leagues really quickly and then was able to have the year that he had, it speaks to that we made the right decision. We made the right decision in terms of how we handled him this year and ultimately, Paul went out and performed, and that's the most important thing."
Skenes was also a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award and finished in third place. The 2023 first overall pick was the first pitcher to finish in the top three for Rookie of the Year and Cy Young since Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. Had Skenes won both awards, he would have been the second pitcher in MLB history to achieve the feat, joining Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Fernando Valenzuela.
The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts and struck out 170 batters, which set a Pirates rookie record. Skenes was also the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games and the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances. The Pirates star was the first rookie pitcher to start an All-Star game since Dodgers right-hander Hideo Nomo in 1995.
With Skenes' success and the abundance of arms Pittsburgh has in the big leagues and three top-100 pitching prospects, Shelton knows his team will lean on them next year if they're going to improve next year and their ace will play an imperative role in that.
"We think our starting pitching is something that's going to be a big part of what's going to lead to our success next year," Shelton said. [Skenes is] a huge part of that. It's really cool for you to see your players win an individual award."
