The Pittsburgh Pirates certainly have found a building block for the future.
Pittsburgh has been building a very solid young core, and it took another massive step forward in 2024, thanks to young ace Paul Skenes. He was selected as the No. 1 draft pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft and made his big league deal nearly a year afterward.
Skenes wasn’t just one of the best rookies in the National League in 2024 but one of the best players overall. He made 23 starts and logged an eye-popping 1.96 ERA to go along with a 170-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 133 innings pitched. Skenes is a superstar and started the All-Star Game because of it.
He earned a lot of praise and recognition throughout the season. Skenes got some more recognition on Thursday as he was named Baseball Digest’s Rookie of the Year, as shared by MLB.com’s Manny Randhawa.
“Right-handers Paul Skenes of the Pirates and Luis Gil of the Yankees on Thursday were named Baseball Digest’s Rookies of the Year for 2024,” Randhawa said. “Skenes, the flamethrowing sensation who made his MLB debut less than a year after Pittsburgh drafted him first overall, is the winner in the National League.
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“Gil, who had a May for the ages to launch his Rookie of the Year campaign, takes home the American League honor. The BBWAA Rookie of the Year Award winners will be announced on Nov. 18.”
This likely won’t be the last piece of hardware that Skenes picks up.
More MLB: Pirates Young Utility Player Wins First Career Gold Glove Award
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