PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates pitching phenom Paul Skenes has been named Baseball Digest’s National League Rookie of the Year.
The selections were made by the independently submitted votes of an 11-member panel of baseball writers and broadcasters, including the six contributors who provided Baseball Digest’s 2024 division previews.
Skenes received nine of the 11 first-place votes.
Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts after being called up to the Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 11. His MLB debut came just 307 days after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft, making him the quickest top pick to reach the majors in 35 years.
Skenes became the first Pirates rookie pitcher to be named to an All-Star Game. As the National League’s starting pitcher, Skenes—who threw a scoreless inning—also became the first-ever No. 1 overall pick to make the All-Star Game the season after his draft year.
In 2024, he ranked first among all qualified NL rookies in ERA (1.96), batting average against (.198) and WHIP (0.947); tied for second in wins (11) and ranked second in strikeouts (170) and winning percentage (.786).
Skenes is the fifth Pirates player to be named NL Rookie of the Year by Baseball Digest.
Luis Gil of the New York Yankees was selected as Baseball Digest’s American League Rookie of the Year.
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