Pittsburgh Pirates rookie beginning pitcher Paul Skenes concluded his 2024 season on Saturday afternoon with a dominant two-inning outing in opposition to the New York Yankees. It was an outing that noticed him document three strikeouts, together with back-to-back strikeouts of superstars Juan Soto and Aaron Decide within the backside of the primary inning.
His line for the season is an 11-3 document, a 0.95 WHIP, 170 strikeouts in 133 innings and a staggering 1.96 ERA. It is likely one of the finest rookie seasons ever for a pitcher, and it ought to put him in line to win the Nationwide League Rookie of the Yr Award over San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill.
It must also put him on the high of the dialogue for the Nationwide League Cy Younger Award.Â
That can get some pushback, particularly from Atlanta Braves followers, as a result of Chris Sale has been excellent for them and is about to guide the Nationwide League in wins, ERA and strikeouts. It has been a really nice season — and positively Cy Younger-worthy.Â
Skenes, nevertheless, is correct there with him, and in case you are merely asking the query of “who’s one of the best beginning pitcher in baseball proper now,” it’s laborious to present a solution that isn’t Skenes.Â
The one factor that’s preserving Skenes from being atop the NL leaderboard in ERA is the actual fact he doesn’t have sufficient innings to qualify for the lead.Â
That can finally be the argument in opposition to him within the Cy Younger dialogue (lack of innings), however we aren’t speaking about that huge of a cap.Â
Sale has began solely six extra video games and thrown 44 extra innings as of Saturday, with Sale nonetheless taking a look at another begin this season. It’s not like Skenes has began solely a handful of video games. He is been a daily within the Pirates rotation since early Could and has been nothing in need of dominant virtually each day out. He has taken no-hitters into the seventh inning on two completely different events. He was the beginning pitcher for the Nationwide League within the All-Star Recreation. He has allowed greater than two earned runs in a begin simply 3 times and by no means greater than 4 earned runs.Â
The Pirates went 15-8 within the video games he began, and that was with them losing a handful of begins together with a pair of 2-1 losses, a 3-1 loss and three video games the place the bullpen blew leads of 4 runs or extra. They may have simply gone 19-4 in his begins.Â
They’re solely 61-77 within the video games he didn’t begin.Â
His ERA is almost half a run decrease than Sale’s, whereas he has a greater WHIP (0.95 to 1.01), is hanging out extra batters per 9 innings (11.5 to 11.4) and is barely 0.5 behind in WAR (6.3 for Sale to five.8 for Skenes) regardless of beginning six fewer video games.
Skenes’ 5.8 WAR is fifth finest in all of Main League Baseball, and he’s the one starter within the high 30 to have made fewer than 25 begins.Â
In different phrases — he has been dominant. As dominant as another pitcher in baseball, and a robust argument could be made that he’s already one of the best beginning pitcher within the league.Â
That, finally, is what the Cy Younger Award is meant to be about. There is no such thing as a official standards or set of necessities, and we’ve seen aid pitchers win it up to now with considerably fewer innings than Skenes has this season.Â
Sale is prone to win it. He most likely will win it. Skenes nonetheless has a really convincing argument to win it himself.Â
