Pirates' Paul Skenes Misses Top Spot in Rookie Rankings
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for as Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was in his first season in the big leagues, he wasn't the only rookie to have a stellar season.
MLB.com's Jim Callis ranked the rookies from the 2024 season based on their long-term value and had Skenes at No. 3. The Pirates ace trailed Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio who was No. 1 and San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill at No. 2.
Callis noted how good all three players were in 2024 and how one could make an argument for either of the three without receiving much pushback.
"You could list those players in any order and easily support your argument," Callis writes. "The call here is the position players over Skenes because of the fragility of pitchers, and Chourio over Merrill because he's a year younger and has more upside. It will be great fun to watch how their careers play out over the next 15-20 years."
Skenes had a historic rookie season, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over his 23 starts and he set a Pirates rookie record with 170 strikeouts. Skenes was 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.
Skenes is a finalist for the NL Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young award, making him the first pitcher to be in the top three for both awards since Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins in 2013. The Pirates star is the fifth pitcher in MLB history to be a finalist for both awards, and the late great Los Angeles Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela is the only pitcher to win both when he accomplished the feat in 1981.
Skenes was also the first rookie pitcher since Dodgers right-hander Hideo Nomo in 1995 to start an All-Star game.
"Among rookies age 22 or younger who worked at least 125 innings, Skenes posted the best ERA+ (214), the best ERA (1.96) and the second-best K/BB ratio (5.3) since the lively ball was introduced in 1920, the third-best strikeout rate (11.5 per nine innings) and the sixth-best hit rate (6.4 per nine)," Callis wrote.
Skenes' teammate, rookie right-hander Jared Jones also made the list at No. 15.
The winner of the NL Rookie of the Year will be announced on Monday at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network. Skenes, Chourio and Merrill are the three finalists for the award in the National League.
