Pirates Pitcher Paul Skenes' Rookie of Year Odds Dropping
PITTSBURGH -- As the Pittsburgh Pirates' playoff odds continue to fade amidst a ten-game losing streak, Paul Skenes' chances of taking home some hardware have trended in the same direction.
FanDuel Sportsbook has dropped Skenes' odds of winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award to -170 mere weeks after he was a -1100 favorite during the All-Star break. That plunge comes on the heels of a rough open to the month of August, as he owns a 4.76 ERA over two starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite those recent struggles, Skenes' declining odds are more a product of Jackson Merrill's hot streak. Merrill, whose odds currently sit at +115, has hit .329/.358/.659 with five home runs since the beginning of the second half. He was also one of four rookies on to appear on an All-Star game roster this season and ranks No. 12 among qualified NL hitters in fWAR.
With that said, Skenes still remains a favorite to take home the award as no other player outside of Merrill holds odds greater than +3200. He has posted a 2.25 ERA with 11.25 strikeouts per nine innings during a record-breaking campaign that has included a trip to the Midsummer Classic as the NL's starting pitcher.
Furthermore, Skenes has cemented himself as one of MLB's best pitchers in a short amount of time. Among arms with at least 90 innings under their belt this season, Skenes has the second-lowest ERA, second-lowest expected ERA (xERA) at 2.61 and third-best fielding independent pitching (FIP) at 2.73. His workload may prevent him from garnering serious consideration for the Cy Young Award, but there's no denying that he's played up to that level as a rookie.
If Skenes can close out the 2024 season on a high note before a potential shutdown, he is well-positioned to become just the second player in Pirates history to win Rookie of the Year alongside Jason Bay. While Buctober likely isn't in the cards this year, Skenes' development should give fans hope that Pittsburgh's postseason drought won't continue for much longer.
JACK MARKOWSKI