MLB Rookie Of The Year!

[LSUDad]

Two intriguing Rookie of the Year races are developing in MLB, with Paul Skenes trying to pull away in the National League and a potential five-horse race taking shape between Luis Gil, Wyatt Langford, and three others in the American League.

Skenes burst onto the scene when he was called up for the Pirates in May, racking up seven strikeouts in his first start and then pitching a six-inning, 11-strikeout gem in his second outing. The 22-year-old holds a 2.02 ERA in nine starts with 70 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched.

Those incredible numbers from the 2023 first overall pick have landed him atop the oddsboard for National League Rookie of the Year.

 

PLAYER (TEAM)ODDSIMPLIED PROBABILITY

Paul Skenes (PIT)-275.    73.3%

Jackson Merrill (SD)+375.  21.1%

Shota Imanaga (CHC)+110.    8.3%

Gavin Stone (LAD)+220.      4.3%

Joey Ortiz (MIL)+220.           4.3%

[LSUDad]

Today :

 

 

 

[LSUDad]

Paul Skenes makes MLB History! 
 

 

 

 

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/07/07/sport/pittsburgh-pirates-paul-skenes-all-star-game-spt

[LSUDad]

The 22-year-old became the first player to earn an All-Star nod the season after getting drafted first overall in the MLB Draft.

Skenes, the top pick in the draft out of Louisiana State University, has a 5-0 record with a 2.12 earned-run average and 78 strikeouts in 10 starts this season. He started the season in the minor leagues.

[houtiger]

From a Pittsburg sportswriter yesterday.

-------------------------

Paul Skenes is different. Skenes became the first No. 1 overall pick in baseball history to make the All-Star Game the year after he was drafted. Oh, and he started the game. That’s unheard of in baseball and a significant outlier to the two-to-four-year development play typically implemented for drafted players and international prospects.

The Pirates are a significantly better team with Skenes on the roster, and their record continues to trend over .500 since he debuted on May 11. The difference between other rookies in Pittsburgh and Skenes is the rapid transformation he’s made for himself in the game. Paul Skenes is the best pitcher in baseball. He’s made 12 career starts as a Pirate. What we’re witnessing is a feat of greatness similar to Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Crosby, and Lemieux, the greatest players to ever suit up in their respective sports.

It’s not hyperbole but reality. A Paul Skenes Day is an event every time he takes the mound. I’ve never seen anything like it. On days Skenes pitches, you stop what you’re doing and watch. Big Ben didn’t become the best quarterback in football during his rookie year. Crosby was great but not the best player in hockey yet. Skenes is the best pitcher in baseball and is on pace for 200 strikeouts despite missing all of April.

The Pirates are winners of 10 of their last 13. Over 32,000 fans flocked to the ballpark on a Tuesday night in July against the Cardinals and created a playoff-like atmosphere. It’s the Paul Skenes effect. No, we don’t know how long he’s going to be here, it’s why the Pirates have to do everything in their power to surround him with a great supporting cast and bats at the trade deadline.

We were approaching the window of opportunity for the Pirates to win playoff games and go far in the playoffs at the start of the season. Skenes makes it all not just a possibility but a potential reality. I can’t get enough of it. Appreciate and enjoy it; good times at the ballpark are back again. We’ve never seen anything like it in Pirates history for the greatest rookie to ever play in Pittsburgh.