How many pitchers have won Rookie of the Year in the 21st century? Exploring the award’s history amid Paul Skenes' and Luis Gil's incredible seasons

It could be a clean sweep for pitchers for the 2024 Rookie of the Year Awards. Both New York Yankees starter Luis Gil and Pittsburgh Pirates sensation Paul Skenes have not only been some of the most impressive rookies this season but also pitchers in general.

"Why does Paul Skenes get more recognition than Luis Gil?" - @SlamCentralNYY

Although the 2024 season is still young and plenty can change by the end of the year, Paul Skenes and Luis Gil might be strong contenders for the Rookie of the Year awards. There will be plenty of contenders for the award, including Skenes' teammate Jared Jones and Chicago Cubs star Shota Imanaga. However, it could be the year of the pitcher.

This has led some fans to look into the history of the award and wonder whether or not pitchers have a disadvantage when it comes to voting. In some other leagues, such as the NFL, offensive players tend to have an advantage over defensive players when it comes to award season. The NFL MVP is generally awarded to the league's top quarterback, despite the contributions of other position players.

"Paul Skenes has been having a sensational rookie campaign 𝟐𝟕.𝟎 𝐈𝐏 𝟑.𝟎𝟎 𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝟑𝟖 𝐊 𝟑-𝟎 𝐖/𝐋 And, the best is yet to come" - @TheBuccoBeat

Since the beginning of the 21st century, pitchers have won the Rookie of the Year award in both the National League and American League plenty of times. Since 2001, six pitchers have won the award in the AL, whereas six pitchers have won it in the NL. While offensive players have won the majority of the awards since 2001, there have been several pitchers who have earned the honor.

A closer look at the pitchers who have won the Rookie of the Year award since 2001

American League

As mentioned, six different pitchers have won the award in the AL since 2001. Although they all share a connection by winning the award, they have all had different levels of success throughout their MLB careers. The winners of the award since 2001 have been Huston Street (2005), Justin Verlander (2006), Andrew Bailey (2009), Neftali Feliz (2010), Jeremy Hellickson (2011) and Michael Fulmer (2016).

National League

Similar to the AL, the NL has had six pitchers win the Rookie of the Year award since 2001. The six to win the award in the National League include Jason Jennings (2002), Dontrelle Willis (2003), Craig Kimbrel (2011), Jose Fernandez (2013), Jacob deGrom (2014) and Devin Williams (2020).