It was a pretty good year for Pittsburgh Pirates rookie hurler Paul Skenes. It was just announced that Skenes was named the Baseball Digest Rookie of the Year. It’s Skenes’ second such honor this offseason, after also being named Rookie of the Year by Baseball America. Skenes received 9 out of a possible 11 first-place votes by the publication. The other two went to Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres.
Skenes finished the season with an 11-3 record, a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts, and 0.95 WHIP in 23 starts. The ERA was the best mark in the Major Leagues, and he was the NL starting pitcher in the MLB All-Star game.