Paul Skenes Hoping To Win ‘Most Meaningful’ Award

Paul Skenes isn’t one to show much emotion. When the Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace won the National League Rookie of the Year award, he hardly cracked a smile. He’s very measured in interviews, never getting too high or too low.

He’s the front-runner to win the National League Cy Young in his second major league season. Unless his season ends in disaster, or voters decide to go off the rails, he’s all but sure to win. Skenes isn’t one to determine success or failure based on awards, though.

“Whether I won [Rookie of the Year] or not, it was a successful year,” Skenes said on On Base With Mookie Betts.

Skenes is more concerned with the work and effort he puts in. He emphasized that the results are what they are, and winning or losing an award based on a vote doesn’t change how he views his season. At the same time, there is one award that means a lot to him — the Roberto Clemente Award.

On Monday, it was announced that Skenes would be the Pirates’ nominee for the 2025 iteration of the award. He’s worked closely with military causes throughout his career, donating $100 to the Gary Sinise Foundation for every strikeout he records.

While Skenes doesn’t care about awards for his on-field performance, the Roberto Clemente Award means a lot to him.

“I think outside of winning a World Series, that would probably be the coolest accolade that I could win. Probably the most meaningful thing I could win,” Skenes said. “To be honored in that way and just to be nominated for the award is a tremendous honor. To win the award would be unbelievable. I think it would be greater than any other baseball award that there is, just because it’s not about the baseball player, it’s about the human.” 

Regardless of if Skenes is selected as the winner, his work in the community doesn’t go unnoticed. On Monday, Pirates’ players and prospects assembled bags of produce and non-perishables to support Operation Troop Appreciation, a non-profit dedicated to helping veterans.

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