Pirates pitching phenom Paul Skenes is named Baseball America's Rookie of the Year

Paul Skenes received the first of many accolades on Monday when Baseball America named the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher its rookie of the year.

Skenes, 22, joins outfielder Andrew McCutchen (2009) as just the second Pirates player to win the Baseball Americas Rookie of the Year award.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, was 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 170 strikeouts and batting average of .198 — the lowest ever by a Pirates starting pitcher with at least 16 starts — in 133 innings over 23 starts this season.

According to StatsPerform, Skenes is the first rookie pitcher in more than a century to record at least 23 starts with an ERA below 2.00 in a single season since Scott Perry did so in 1918 in 44 games (36 starts).

Skenes ranked first among all qualified National League rookies in ERA, batting average against and WHIP, was second in wins and was second in strikeouts and winning percentage (.786). After making his major league debut on May 11, he recorded the MLB's lowest ERA.