Yankees Pitcher Luis Gil Named Baseball Digest AL Rookie of the Year

 

Luis Gil pitching to Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros on May 7. Photo by Jason Schott.

Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil won the Baseball Digest American League Rookie of the Year Award. Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes was selected in the National League.

In the 53 years that Baseball America has presented Rookie of the Year awards, it is just the third time that both the AL and NL recipients have been pitchers. The two prior times were 1976, when Mark "The Bird" Fidrych of the Detroit Tigers and Butch Metzger of the San Diego Padres won the AL and NL awards, and in 2011, when Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays and Craig Kimbrel of the Atlanta Braves won it.

An 11-member panel of baseball writers and broadcasters, including the six contributors to Baseball Digest's 2024 division previews, independently submitted votes. Gil received six first-place votes, with outfielder Colton Cowser of the Baltimore Orioles received three, and Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller had two. Skenes took nine first-place votes, with Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres claiming the other two.

Gil becomes the third Yankee to win the award, following in the footsteps of Derek Jeter in 1996 and Aaron Judge in 2017.

Gil, who missed all of last season with Tommy John surgery after brief stints with the Yankees in 2021 and '22, went 15-7 with a 3.50 earned run average (ERA) and 171 strikeouts in 29 starts after he earned his way on to his first Opening Day roster.

The right-handed allowed three runs or fewer in 22 of his 29 starts, two-or-less runs in 18 starts, and one or zero runs in 17.  Gil’s 17 starts of one or zero runs allowed in 2024 had him tied with the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal and the Chicago White Sox’ Garrett Crochet for the most such starts in the Major Leagues. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Gil’s 17 such starts were the second most in major-league history by any rookie pitcher in a single season, since the current mound distance was set in 1893 and excluding openers. He is second the Philadelphia Phillies’ George McQuillan's 21 such starts in 1908.  Gil’s 171 strikeouts in 2024 were the second most by a Yankees rookie in a single season in franchise history, after Russ Ford's 209 in 1910. 

Paul Skenes pitching to the Yankees' Aaron Judge at The Stadium on September 28. Photo by Jason Schott.

Skenes, who was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 11, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. His major-league debut came just 307 days after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft, making him the quickest top pick to reach the majors in 35 years, since pitcher Ben McDonald of the Orioles made it to the majors in 1989, the same year he was drafted.

Despite not coming up until May, Skenes became the first Pirates rookie pitcher to be named to an All-Star Game, the fourth Pirates rookie to make the Midsummer Classic, and the first Pirates rookie to earn the honor since Tony Womack in 1997. 

Skenes was chosen as the National League’s starting pitcher, and he threw a scoreless inning. In addition, he became the first-ever No. 1 overall pick to make the All-Star Game the season after his draft year. 

In 2024, Skenes ranked first among all qualified NL rookies in ERA (1.96), batting average against (.198) and WHIP (0.947); tied for second in wins  with 11, and ranked second in strikeouts (170) and winning percentage (.786). 

Skenes is the fifth Pirate to be named NL Rookie of the Year by Baseball Digest, joining Johnny Ray in 1982, Jason Kendall in 1996, Warren Morris (1999), and Jason Bay (2004).

Gil and Skenes faced each other at Yankee Stadium the final weekend of the regular season, on September 28, and please click here for the link to our coverage.