Pirates' Paul Skenes In Line for Major Award
Paul Skenes has mowed down hitters from the second he was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and it appears as though he will enjoy the fruits of his labor when award season rolls around.
The Athletic's Jayson Stark released his annual awards column on Friday and named Skenes as his pick for National League Rookie of the Year over a host of other candidates, with San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill representing his most staunch competition.
"So listen up out there," Stark wrote. "I love everything about Jackson Merrill. But since Skenes arrived in the big leagues, he leads all pitchers in the majors in ERA, strikeout percentage (32.9) and Win Probability Added (3.71).
"Get the picture? We’re talking about the most dominant pitcher in the game right now and arguably the most dominant rookie pitcher of modern times. I don’t know how you pick your rookies of the year. But that’s how I pick mine."
Stark further justified his choice by listing several stats that speak to the absurdity of Skenes' accomplishments this season.
"Paul Skenes only showed up in Pittsburgh a little over four months ago," Stark wrote. "But I think he might have a future in this sport.
"Roger Clemens, who went on to win seven Cy Young awards, gave up 28 earned runs in the first six starts of his career. Skenes has given up 29 all season.
"Then there’s Skenes’ ERA+. It’s pretty good. By which I mean 211! The last rookie starter with an Adjusted ERA that far above league average, with this many starts, was a fellow named Denny Driscoll (218) … in 1882.
"Or how about this. After 22 starts, Skenes had racked up 167 strikeouts and a sub-2.00 ERA (1.99). How unusual was that? The last NL rookie to have an ERA under 2.00 and as many as 130 strikeouts in the first 22 starts of his first full season was Grover Cleveland Alexander … in 1911."
Skenes, who also broke the Pirates' rookie strikeout record, is destined to become the second player in franchise history to win the award behind Jason Bay (2004).
Simply put, he's crafted one of the most prolific rookie campaigns that baseball has ever seen. The term "generational talent" is often overused, but that tag can be squarely placed on Skenes.
Pittsburgh has found its ace, and he has the potential to help change the narrative surrounding the organization as they look to regain their past glory.
