Skenes finishes third in NL Cy Young Award voting
Alex Stumpf
@AlexJStumpfPaul Skenes was selected first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft just 500 days ago. On Wednesday, he was recognized as one of the top pitchers in the sport, finishing third in the voting for the 2024 National League Cy Young Award.
Skenes, who was named the NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers¡¯ Association of America on Monday, received one second-place vote for the award, which ultimately went to Chris Sale of the Braves. Zack Wheeler of the Phillies finished in second.
Skenes is one of seven Pirates to finish in the top three for a Cy Young, but he's the first since John Smiley in 1991.
Each of Skenes¡¯ 23 Major League starts in his rookie campaign was must-see TV, not knowing what exactly was in store. Boasting one of the deepest pitch arsenals in the sport out of the gate -- ranging from a triple-digit four-seamer to a ¡°splinker¡± hybrid to a changeup that took charge late in the season -- Skenes quickly established himself as one of the game¡¯s top arms.
Skenes amassed an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 133 innings. He led the NL in strikeouts per nine innings (11.5), strikeout percentage (33.1%), walks and hits per inning pitched (0.95), strikeout rate minus walk rate (26.8%) and ERA among pitchers with 130 or more frames. However, a smaller sample size due to Skenes starting the season in the Minors was evidently too much to overcome to win the game¡¯s top pitching honor.
A Cy Young Award would have been another cherry on top of what was one of the most memorable seasons for a Bucs pitcher in recent memory. Yet, it¡¯s possible that Skenes is just scratching the surface of his potential: Not just because of his elite stuff, but his approach and how he manages those otherworldly expectations, as well.
¡°On top of having a dominant first season, he handled the spotlight that came with it extraordinarily well,¡± general manager Ben Cherington said after Skenes was named Rookie of the Year. ¡°He is constantly searching for ways to continue to get better, learns very fast and wants nothing more than to win. He is a big part of the future of the Pirates, and we¡¯re excited for what¡¯s to come from him and our team.¡±
The highlights from Skenes' first full professional season were plentiful and obvious, whether it was fanning Shohei Ohtani on three straight triple-digit fastballs to starting the All-Star Game for the National League. When asked about his personal highlights from his first year, Skenes singled out one of his three losses: July 23 against the Cardinals, when he pitched into the ninth for the first time, creating a salient energy from the PNC Park home crowd.
That¡¯s what he¡¯s chasing for 2025.
¡±I know we lost that game, but that¡¯s kind of what it looks like going forward, in terms of the fans, the energy within the dugout and that kind of thing,¡± Skenes said over Zoom. ¡°That¡¯s what winning baseball looks like. Gives me something to look forward to next year and beyond.¡±
This past Sunday, Skenes attended a Steelers game against the Ravens at Acrisure Stadium, where he was recognized already as among Pittsburgh¡¯s sports elite. That should also be on his radar as he prepares for bigger things next season.
¡°I think it¡¯s such a select few who get to have the opportunity to, I guess the right word is like transcend their sport,¡± Skenes said. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m that person by any stretch, but that is the goal. ¡ That is something that I think is going to be huge in creating an identity with our team going forward. Identifying with the city that we are in, because it¡¯s an awesome city and we owe it to them to go out and win.
¡°So [I am] really fired up about the opportunity for next year, but this past year has been unbelievable for me. Definitely not going to take it for granted.¡±