CLEVELAND, Ohio — Starting pitchers Luis Gil and Paul Skenes were elected as the Jackie Robinson Rookies of the Year on Monday night by a vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 games for the Yankees to win the AL award. Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts for the Pirates to win the NL award.
Guardians reliever Cade Smith finished fifth in the voting with 12 points, including one first place vote. Smith went 6-1 with a 1.91 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings.
Gil won the award in a tight election over Baltimore outfield Colton Cowswer, 106-101. It is the closest election since the BBWAA went to a three-player ballot for Rookie of the Year in 1980 following a tie between Minnesota’s John Castino and Toronto’s Alfredo Griffin. The closest election was in 2003 when Angel Berroa of Kansas City beat Yankee outfielder Hideki Matsui, 88-84.
Seven AL players received votes. Gil received 15 first-place votes, 10 second place votes and one third-place vote. Cowser received 13 first-place votes, 11 second-place vote and three third-place votes.
The five other vote getters were Yankee catcher Austin Wells with 17 points, Oakland closer Mason Miller 16 and Smith 12, Boston Wilyer Abreu 11 and Texas’ Wyatt Lanford 7. Miller like Smith received one first place vote.
Gil, who carried the Yankee rotation when ace Gerrit Cole opened the year on the injured list, is the 10th Yankee to win the award. They lead the AL in rookie of the year winners, trailing only the Dodgers who have 18 rookie of the year winners in the NL. Derek Jeter in 1996 and Aaron Judge in 2017 were the Yankees last two AL Rookies of the Year.
Yankee manager Aaron Boone credited Gil with the work he put in after recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Gil pitched sparingly in 2022 and not at all in 2023 while recovering from the injuring.
“He worked so hard to put himself in a strong position heading into spring training after coming back from Tommy John surgery,” said Boone in a statement. “Without a guarantee of a major league spot, he absolutely kicked in the door this spring and went on to have a phenomenal rookie season. Luis continued to mature and develop all year and was one of the pillars of our rotation. I can’t wait to see what’s next for such a talented, young pitcher.”
Cowser batted .242 with 24 homers and 69 RBI for the Orioles, while playing all three outfield positions. Wells hit .229 with 13 homers and 55 RBI for the Yankees.
Ballots for all BBWAA awards are based on regular season performances.
BBWAA VOTING ON AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
BBWAA VOTING ON NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Skenes, the first overall pick in 2023 out of LSU, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. The Pirates promoted him to the big leagues on May 11 after he made seven starts at Class AAA Indianapolis with 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings.
The 6-5, 235-pound Skenes made his big league debut against the Cubs. Over his last eight starts, he went 5-1 with a 1.32 ERA, striking out 55 and walking 12 in 44 innings. The opposition hit .181 against him over that stretch.
Jackson hit .292 (162 for 554) with 24 homers and 90 RBI in 156 games for the Padres. He took over center field for the Padres and made the position his own.
Chourio hit .275 (145 for 528) with 21 homers and 79 RBI for the Brewers. He stole 22 bases in 29 attempts and scored 86 runs.
Skenes received 136 points, ahead of Merrill’s 106 and Chourio’s 26. Skenes received 23 of a possible 30 first place votes. Merrill received seven first-place votes and 23 second-place votes.
Shota Imanaga of the Cubs was the only other player to receive votes on the NL ballot.