Pirates' Paul Skenes Makes All-MLB Team
The first award of the offseason is officially on the ledger for Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes.
Skenes was named to the All-MLB First-Team for his standout rookie season. The Pirates' ace was the lone rookie to make the All-MLB First-Team, which featured players like New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
The Pirates ace is the first player in franchise history to make an All-MLB team. The award was first introduced in 2019.
Presenting your 2024 All-MLB First Team! 💥 pic.twitter.com/Yqtr5mwiJO
— MLB (@MLB) November 15, 2024
Skenes is also a finalist for the NL Rookie of the Year and the NL Cy Young Award. The Rookie of the Year will be announced on Monday at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network, while the winner of the Cy Young award will be announced on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
The Pirates' ace is the first rookie to be a finalist for both awards since Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. Should he win both awards, Skenes would be the second pitcher in MLB history to accomplish the feat, joining Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
Skenes had one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and he set a Pirates rookie record with 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. The first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft 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 was also the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo of the Dodgers started for the National League in 1995.
