Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has been dominant since his May call-up, and he's now the favorite to win both the NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards.
Paul Skenes wasn't even on the Pittsburgh Pirates' MLB Opening Day roster, but he has quickly become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. Since his May 11 call-up to the big leagues, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft has gone 6-1 with a sparkling 1.99 ERA, 107 strikeouts, and just 19 walks in 14 starts.
Skenes' incredible start to his MLB career has made him a runaway favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He's now -3000 to win the award, meaning it would take a $3,000 bet to win $100.
Paul Skenes: The Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Contender Who Came from Nowhere
"Barring injury or [the Giants'] Tyler Fitzgerald keeping up his Barry Bonds-esque streak, the Rookie of the Year has already been decided," said BetMGM trader and baseball aficionado Hal Egeland. "I wouldn't be surprised if it comes off the board after Skenes' next start or two, should he keep up his domination."
Skenes has also emerged as a legitimate contender for the NL Cy Young Award. He's now +185 to win the award, behind only Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale.
"We opened him up at +20000 (200/1). That looks like a crazy number now, but at the time, we didn't think that was the case," Egeland said. "He's a rookie who won't have as many innings as the other candidates, going to an under-league-average team — at least at the time — with potential innings control, due to how valuable he is to the Pirates' future."
Skenes' rapid ascent up the Cy Young oddsboard has been challenging for BetMGM's risk room.
"We have to weigh how much action is coming in due to external factors vs. on-field performance. That makes it difficult from a trading/risk perspective," Egeland said. "Rookie of the Year is always a tricky thing to trade. Everything is about projections, and that's especially tough with no major league data and the uncertainty of when players will be on the roster."
Skenes could be the exact same player, but if he was called up a month later, he wouldn't be in the Cy Young discussion, and Rookie of the Year would be more competitive."
Egeland compares the hype around Skenes to the hype around Shedeur Sanders, who was a Heisman Trophy contender for the Colorado Buffaloes last season.
"Obviously, there was a ton of hype with Skenes for performance reasons. But there's the added interest with him as a social media story," Egeland said. "The best comparison I can think of is Shedeur Sanders to win the Heisman Trophy."
Sanders and the Buffaloes tailed off in the second half of the season, but Skenes has continued to dominate.
"The difference between Sanders and Skenes is that Skenes has had sustained success," Egeland said.
Skenes is a major reason why the Pirates are still in contention for an NL Wild Card berth. He has given the Pirates a legitimate ace, and he's one of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball.
If Skenes can continue to pitch at a high level, he has a chance to win both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards. He would be the first player to win both awards since Justin Verlander in 2011.
