Once the runaway favorite for the National League Rookie of the Year award, Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes has taken the league by storm in his rookie campaign.
Skenes has been fantastic for Pittsburgh since getting called up in May and has helped the Pirates win. The young star has been making history this season as well. Skenes became only the fifth rookie pitcher to star in the All-Star game and the first one to do it in almost 30 years.
San Diego Padres rookie Jackson Merrill has tightened the Rookie of the Year race since the All-Star break. Merrill has slashed .290/.321/.488 in his rookie season with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs. Like Skenes, Merrill also made the All-Star game as a rookie and has stepped up his game since.
Even with Merrill’s improved play since the All-Star break, Skenes remains on top of MLB.com’s NL Rookie of the Year poll according to MLB.com’s Brian Murphy and Jason Foster.
“Skenes has been the overwhelming NL favorite in this poll for a few months, and he’s done nothing to diminish the enthusiasm,” Murphy and Foster said. “He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his past 12 starts, and his 2.16 ERA would lead MLB if he had enough innings to qualify. Similarly, his 11.25 K/9 ratio would be third-best in baseball if he had the requisite number of innings.”
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“Overall, Skenes is 8-2 on the season with 130 strikeouts in 104 innings, and the Pirates are 11-6 in his starts. He continues to be must-watch entertainment.”
The Pirates have around 30 games left in the regular season. This gives Skenes another five or six outings to cement himself as the Rookie of the Year Award frontrunner. Pittsburgh’s future looks bright with Skenes leading the way.
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