Pirates' Skenes, Yankees' Gil win Rookie of Year awards - ESPN

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes was named the National League's Rookie of the Year on Monday, beating out a loaded field headlined by outfielders Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio after posting one of the best rookie campaigns for a pitcher in major league history.

New York Yankees right-hander Luis Gil beat out teammate and catcher Austin Wells and Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser to win the award in the American League.

Hyped as a generational talent, Skenes, who debuted less than a year after being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, surpassed expectations in his first taste of the big leagues to become the second Rookie of the Year award winner in Pirates history (Jason Bay, 2004) with 23 of the 30 first-place votes. With the honor, he earned a full year of service time despite not being called up to the majors until May.

Gil tallied 15 of the 30 first-place votes, narrowly topping Cowser, who finished with 13 first-place votes.

Skenes, 22, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts across 133 innings. His 1.96 ERA was the lowest for any rookie with at least 20 starts in the live ball era, dating to 1920, and the lowest in baseball in 2024 among pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched. His 0.95 WHIP was tied for best in the National League. His 170 strikeouts were a franchise rookie record. His 4.3 fWAR ranked 10th among major league pitchers. With the performance, he was named one of the three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award along with veterans Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler. That winner will be announced Wednesday.

Merrill finished second with the other seven first-place votes, and Chourio was third. Merrill, a shortstop in the minors through last season, was the San Diego