Paul Skenes led LSU to a College World Series triumph 16 months ago. Now, he's established himself as one of Major League Baseball's best pitchers. Skenes just concluded a debut campaign that saw him make history at every turn. Could this lead to some hardware, namely the National League Rookie of the Year award?
After being named the National League starter in the All-Star Game, one would imagine Skenes would've locked up the award. However, it's a testament to the greatness of other rookies — such as Jackson Chourio and Jackson Merrill — that this is still a debate. There's still uncertainty regarding the winner, even after the regular season has concluded.
2024 NL Rookie of the Year odds: Skenes a slight favorite
Fans will continue to see Chourio and Merrill in the coming weeks as the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres clinched postseason berths. Unfortunately, Skenes' campaign has come to a close with the Pittsburgh Pirates finishing 76-86, good for last in the NL Central.
Despite the Pirates' poor overall record, Skenes finished with a stellar 11-3 record across 23 starts. He posted a 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't meet the required 162 innings pitched to qualify to be the league's ERA leader.
Skenes still enjoyed a historic year following a meteoric rise; he wasn't the only rookie worth highlighting, either.
Chourio hit .275 on the year with 21 home runs, 79 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. Merrill is Skenes' biggest threat, though, after he slashed .292/.326/.500. The San Diego slugger also added 24 home runs and 90 RBIs as he was pivotal in helping the Padres reach the postseason.
The odds have wavered in recent months, with both Merrill and Skenes leading at various points. It seemed Merrill would run away with the award in August, but logic prevailed over voter fatigue as October inched closer. Skenes became the odds-on favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year toward the end of September.
The latest odds posted at DraftKings Sportsbook listed Skenes as a -145 favorite and Merrill trailing close behind at +115. The race is by no means over with bettors forced to sit on the edge of their seats for the next few weeks.
Sportsbooks are no longer accepting bets on regular season awards, seeing as voters have already submitted their selections. The winners will be announced toward the end of the month.