ROY pitchers

In mid-November, the Rookie of the Year awards were announced. In the NL, the winner is Paul Skenes. In the AL, Luis Gil is the award winner.

 

Paul Skenes has a great start in his career. In 2024, he owned a 1.96 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP over 133 innings. Additionally, he threw 170 strikeouts and opponents only hit .198 against him. Meanwhile, Luis Gil made 29 starts for the Yankees in 2024, posting a 3.50 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP over 151.2 innings.

 

It’s not common to see a pitcher win the rookie of the year award. From 2021 to 2023, no pitchers won this award. While seeing 2 pitchers win the ROY awards, I began to think about a question. Among the pitchers who won the rookie of the year award, did they pitch well in the next season?

 

To solve my doubt, I decided to check on the great baseball reference website to review the performance of the most recent 5 pitchers who won the ROY award.

 

Firstly, let’s look back at 2020. Devin Williams won the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year award. He finished the season with a 0.33 ERA and a 0.63 WHIP over 27 innings. A 0.33 ERA was truly unbelievable. In 2021, Williams made 58 relief appearances. He owned a 2.50 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP over 54 innings. He missed some playing time due to injuries in 2021. However, his performance was still good.

 

Secondly, let’s go back to the 2018 season. Shohei Ohtani, well, is a two-way player. He made 10 starts in 2018, posting a 3.31 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over 51.2 innings. Nonetheless, he underwent Tommy John surgery following his first season with the Angels and didn’t pitch in 2019.

 

In addition, Michael Fulmer won the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year award. He made 26 starts for the Tigers, posting a 3.06 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP over 159 innings. The next season, he was selected to the All-Star game. In 2017, Fulmer made 25 starts. He owned a 3.83 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP over 164.2 innings. Fulmer became an All-Star in his second season in the majors. Nevertheless, his ERA and his WHIP both went up in 2017.

 

Furthermore, Jacob deGrom was the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year award winner. He tossed 140.1 innings with a 2.69 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Additionally, he threw 144 strikeouts. In 2015, deGrom was selected to the All-Star game. He made 30 starts, posting a 2.54 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP over 191 innings. And he threw 205 strikeouts. In his second season in the majors, deGrom finished 7th in the NL Cy Young award voting.

 

Finally, the Marlins fans might still remember this name. Jose Fernandez made it into the big leagues in 2013. He posted a 2.19 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP over 172.2 innings. The next season, he made only 8 starts and had to undergo Tommy John surgery.

 

Looking back at previous 5 pitchers who won the Rookie of the Year awards, Jacob deGrom did pitch even better in the next season after winning the award. Moreover, Devin Williams and Michael Fulmer didn’t let the team down. Nevertheless, Shohei Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery after the first season in the majors and Jose Fernandez underwent Tommy John surgery in his second season in the majors. Without doubt, Paul Skenes and Luis Gil each have a great season in 2024. In 2025, we can keep watching their performances. However, a key thing is that they have to avoid injuries.