Paul Skenes named NL rookie of the year; Brewers’ Jackson Chourio finishes third

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio etched his name in the record books in 2024, at 20 years old becoming the youngest player in major-league history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases.

But in the end, it wasn’t enough to earn him notice as the top newcomer in the National League.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes was named the senior circuit’s rookie of the year, earning 23 of a possible 30 first-place votes, with San Diego Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill finishing second (seven first-place votes) and Chourio third.

Skenes, 22, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and WHIP of 0.95 in 133 innings over 23 starts for a Pirates team that didn’t call him up from Class AAA Indianapolis until the second week of May.

Despite the delayed start, Skenes was the talk in baseball for most of the season, even becoming the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since 1995. He accounted for 4.3 Wins Above Replacement according to FanGraphs.

In 156 games, Merrill hit .292 with 24 home runs and 90 runs batted in with an OPS of .826 for a Padres team that finished with the same record as the Brewers – 93-69 – but in second place in the NL West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Merrill, 21, also stole 16 bases and was named an all-star. He accounted for 5.3 WAR according to FanGraphs.com.

Then there was Chourio, who earned 26 third-place votes. Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga garnered the other four.

It was a little over a year ago Chourio signed a record-breaking $82 million contract extension with the Brewers despite having never played in the major leagues.

He made Milwaukee’s opening-day roster out of spring training as the youngest player in the majors and then scuffled for most of the first two months before finally hitting his stride.

By season’s end, it could have been argued that Chourio was the Brewers’ best all-around player. In 148 games, Chourio hit .275 with 21 homers and 79 RBI to go along with an OPS of .791.

He also stole 22 bases and despite switching back and forth between right and left field was a net positive with the glove having been credited with 12 defensive runs saved and five outs above average.

Chourio saved his best for last, as he racked up five hits and three RBI in Milwaukee’s wild-card series loss to the New York Mets. He slugged two homers in Game 2, making him the fifth-youngest player in baseball history to go deep in the postseason.

Chourio’s WAR total of 3.9 ranked third on the Brewers behind catcher William Contreras (5.4) and shortstop Willy Adames (4.8).

Right-hander Devin Williams is the last Brewers player to have been named rookie of the year (2020).

Milwaukee’s next shot at a Baseball Writers Association of America postseason award comes Tuesday, with Pat Murphy considered a favorite to be named NL manager of the year.