Former LSU All-American right-hander Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates was named Monday the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
Skenes becomes the second Rookie of the Year in LSU baseball history, joining shortstop Alvin Dark of the Boston Braves, who was voted the MLB Rookie of the Year in 1948 when one award was given across both leagues.
Skenes, who made his MLB debut on May 11, enjoyed a remarkable rookie season, posting an 11-3 record and a 1.96 ERA in 133.0 innings (23 starts) with 32 walks and 170 strikeouts. He was the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game, becoming just the fifth rookie to start on the mound in the Midsummer Classic.
No rookie pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) made as many starts as Skenes (23) and had a lower ERA (1.96). Among all pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched, he led the National League in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings (11.5), walks and hits per nine innings (0.95) and strikeout rate minus walk rate (26.8%).
Skenes was chosen by Pittsburgh as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. Skenes and LSU outfielder Dylan Crews (No. 2 overall selection by Washington) became the first players from the same school to be selected Nos. 1-2 in a single draft.
Skenes is also a 2024 Cy Young Award finalist and is seeking to become the first former LSU pitcher the receive the award. He is the third former LSU pitcher to be named a Cy Young Award finalist, joining right-hander Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023 and right-hander Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018.
The BBWAA will announce the 2024 Cy Young Award winner on Wednesday.
At LSU, Skenes was the 2023 Dick Howser Award winner, the D1 Baseball National Player of the Year, and the SEC Pitcher of the Year, as he helped lead the Tigers to the National Championship. He compiled a 13-2 record and a 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings with 20 walks and an SEC-record 209 strikeouts, and he finished No. 1 in the nation in strikeouts (209), strikeouts per nine innings (15.33) and WHIP (0.75).
The product of Lake Forest, Calif., in 2023 finished No. 2 in the nation in ERA (1.69), No. 3 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.45), and No. 5 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.28). He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series, as he was 1-0 in two starts with a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with two walks and 21 strikeouts.
Skenes, a member of the 2023 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, pledged $10 for every strikeout he recorded at LSU in 2023 to Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military and first responders who have died or been disabled.
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