Paul Skins (22), the Pittsburgh Pirates’ “No. 1 ace” who was named the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, did not forget his humility.
After the rookie of the year award was confirmed on the 19th (Korea time), Skins expressed his feelings about being selected as the rookie of the year in a multi-conference interview with reporters.
“When I met with the manager and the general manager ahead of the season, I decided that my top priority was to play all the starting roles. After that, I tried to show the best version whenever I came out. The biggest achievement was to be able to throw the ball while maintaining good health throughout the season,” he said, reflecting on the past season.
Skins, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023, had a 0.99 ERA in seven Triple-A games before calling up to the big leagues and posting an 11-3 record and 1.96 ERA in 23 games.
“I think the results speak for themselves,” he continued, adding, “I’m a person who values processes and thinks that good processes produce good results. I’ll try to do that next year and the rest of my career. I’m really happy about what I’ve shown this year, but I think I still have a lot of work to do.”
He cited “staying in the mound for a long time” as the most important thing. “It’s important not to give up a hit and not suffer a loss, but I think it’s more important to be able to throw seven to eight innings each time than to throw five to six innings every game. It’s still early in the offseason, so I haven’t looked much into my pitching, but I think finding a way to do it this offseason is the most important thing,” he said, expressing his ambition.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity for myself and for Pittsburgh,” said Lee, who is making his first full-time 토토사이트 league debut in 2025. “The effort will start in the offseason. I’m already looking forward to spring camp,” he said, expressing his enthusiasm for the next season.
Along with Chris Sale and Jack Wheeler, Skins is also a finalist for the National League Cy Young Award. If he wins the Cy Young Award, he will become the first player to win the two awards since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
“It’s great just to be a finalist, but I think it’s definitely Chris Sale this season,” he said, expressing his honest thoughts on the possibility of winning the Cy Young Award. “Sale has shown incredible performance throughout this season,” he said, predicting Sale’s Cy Young Award.
“I’m angry that I didn’t include my minor league performance,” he said, adding, “The most important thing is to show good performance and prove it throughout the season. I’ll have a chance to prove it next year. Honestly, I doubt I’ll get it, but it’s cool just to have my name mentioned with these players.”
Skins made his big league debut a year after being drafted, winning Rookie of the Year, and Jackson Merrill, who was a competitor, jumped from Double A last year to the big league this year and became the main center fielder.
Regarding this phenomenon, he said, “When I see the rookies who debuted this season and the rookies who will debut next year, I think there are many really talented players. Therefore, I have to find a way to get better as an individual and as a team,” expressing his determination not to be pushed out of the competition.
He also expressed his trust in Pittsburgh. “We have good players in our rotation and so do our batters. Our front office and the coaching staff are all working hard to make a better team,” he said, adding that he expects the team to rebound from its 76th win last season.
Notably, referring to the names of batting coach Matt Haig and pitching coach Brent Strom, who joined the team, he said, “It’s a completely different matter to do it when you say you want to win, but just do it. I think we’re on the right track in that regard,” expecting a rebound in his team.