Skenes named a finalist for NL Rookie of Year AND Cy Young

Paul Skenes entered pro ball in 2023 billed as the top pitching prospect of his generation. In 2024, he established himself as not only one of the best rookies in the game, but also one of the best pitchers in the National League.

On Monday, Skenes got formal recognition of just how special his first season was. Not only was he nominated for the NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, he was named one of three finalists for NL Cy Young honors as well.

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Skenes’ rookie season was arguably the greatest for any Pirate in team history, recording an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts and 133 innings. He set a franchise rookie record with 170 strikeouts and started the All-Star Game for the National League.

Jackson Merrill of the Padres and Jackson Chourio of the Brewers are the other finalists for NL Rookie of the Year, while Chris Sale of the Braves and Zack Wheeler of the Phillies are also in the running for the Cy Young.

The Rookie of the Year winners will be revealed Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network, with the Cy Young Award announcement to follow on Nov. 20.

For Skenes, a win of either award would be a cherry on top for what was an unprecedented first season.

Selected with the first overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Skenes entered this season with just 6 2/3 innings of Minor League ball under his belt. The Pirates wanted to make sure he could handle the workload of a full season early, limiting him in Spring Training and then starting him at Triple-A Indianapolis. He did not make his Major League debut until May 11.

It was a move that was not particularly popular at the time, but in retrospect, it worked. Skenes admitted at the end of the season that he didn’t know if it could have gone better, as he exited the year healthy and when he toed the rubber, he usually dominated.

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“We got right to where the innings threshold was,” Skenes said after his final start of the season. “Frustrating first couple of months, but glad to be able to do what I did this year."

Skenes’ ERA was the lowest for any rookie with at least 20 starts since the start of the Live Ball Era in 1920. It was the lowest for all Major Leaguers with at least 130 innings pitched this season, and his 0.95 WHIP was tied for the lowest in the National League for those with at least as many innings as him. While Merrill and Chourio unquestionably had a great year, Skenes’ season was historic.

"He’s doing things no one has ever done," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said in September. "If our expectation was he was going to do something no one has ever done, then we’re putting very high expectations on him. Now, I’m really glad he’s doing it, and pleased. I think that’s why you see this guy should be Rookie of the Year. He’s doing things that are historic.”

The Pirates have had two Cy Young winners in franchise history: Vern Law in 1960 and Doug Drabek in ’90. The last Pirate to rank in the top four of Cy Young voting was Gerrit Cole in 2015.

Jason Bay is the only Pirate to ever win Rookie of the Year honors, doing so in 2004. The last Pirate to finish in the top four of voting was Bryan Reynolds in ’19.

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If Skenes finishes in the top two for NL Rookie of the Year voting, he will be credited with a full year of Major League service time in place of the partial year he had accrued. The Pirates could have received an extra Draft pick for his top five Cy Young finish, but they’re ineligible because Skenes was not on the Opening Day roster.

Regardless of how the vote goes, it’s undeniable that Skenes’ rookie season was memorable, and he exited the year with his sights on even bigger and better things in 2025.

"I think there's some low-hanging fruit for me to be better next year,” Skenes said. “So, just going to attack that, talk with the coaches and develop a plan … and ready to put the work in."