Pirates' Paul Skenes Makes History With Cy Young Nomination
Paul Skenes entered his first season for the Pittsburgh Pirates as the most highly-touted rookie pitcher since Stephen Strasburg in 2010.
Skenes blew those expectations out of the water, and he may soon have the accolades to back it up.
The 2023 first-overall pick was named a finalist for the National League Rookie of the Year and NL Cy Young Award. With him being one of three finalists for both awards, Skenes is now one of five pitchers to accomplish the feat, joining Jose Fernandez (2013), Dwight Goodness (1984), Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Mark Fidrych (1976), according to MLB's Sarah Langs.
Valenzuela was the only one to win both awards.
Skenes is a finalist for the NL Cy Young alongside Atlanta Braves lefty Chris Sale and Philadelphia Phillies hard-throwing right-hander Zack Wheeler. The Pirates' sensation will be competing with Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio and San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill for the NL Rookie of the Year.
If Skenes were to win Rookie of the Year, he'd be the first Pirates pitcher to win the accolade and the second player in franchise history, joining outfielder Jason Bay in 2004. Should Skenes win the NL Cy Young, he'd join Doug Drabek as the only other Pirates pitcher to win the award. Drabek won the NL Cy Young in 1990.
Skenes was nothing short of spectacular in his rookie season, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts and struck out a Pirates-record 170 batters over 133 innings pitched. He was the first rookie to start an All-Star game since Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Hideo Nomo in 1995 and the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games.
Skenes was also the second player to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances since 1913. In his 23 starts, Skenes had six outings where he pitched at least five innings and allowed no runs. He also had two starts in which he exited without allowing a single hit.
The NL Rookie of the Year will be announced on Monday at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network, while the winner of the NL Cy Young Award will be announced on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
