NL Rookie of the Year stolen from Jackson Merrill as BBWAA caves to Paul Skenes' hype

You knew this was going to happen, didn't you? You could feel it. The Paul Skenes' hype train was full-speed ahead, and the Baseball Writer's Association of America were not going to derail it — even though they should have.

Unsurprisingly, the BBWAA outright robbed San Diego Padres' centerfielder Jackson Merrill of the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Instead, the writers fell for the okie doke and handed the honor to Skenes. Merrill finished second in the voting with Milwaukee Brewers' outfielder Jackson Chourio finishing third.

NL Rookie of the Year stolen from Jackson Merrill as BBWAA caves to Paul Skenes' hype

Congratualtions are in order for Skenes. The flamethrowing right-hander deserves a ton of credit for the historic numbers he put up in 2024. Just one year removed from college, Skenes was 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 170 punchouts. Those are truly phenomenal numbers and cannot be ignored.

But what Merrill did was even more impressive. The Padres' rookie hit .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs, 90 RBI, and a 127 OPS+. Merrill was also playing out of position all season, opening the year as the Friars' starting centerfielder after spending his entire professional career on the infield dirt. Merrill played in 156 games and was one the Padres' Opening Day roster while Skenes didn't receive his call up to The Show until mid-May.

The argument has been made, but it's worth restating — there's no real way to compare a position player to a pitcher. But Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is a good place to start. Skenes was worth 4.3 fWAR and Merrill was worth 5.3 fWAR. Inexact as it may be, that's the most straightforward way to determine a player's value to his team.

But to take it one step further, Skenes was a great pitcher on a bad team. Merrill was key player in the middle of the lineup on a playoff contender. While NL Rookie of the Year isn't a postseason award, the fact that Merrill's production helped push San Diego into the playoffs should count for something. The Pirates were still in the NL Central basement despite Skenes' efforts.

But far too often, these awards are nothing more than a popularity contest. Skenes was the starter in the All-Star Game, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick and has an electric fastball that touches 100 mph in addition to a social media star girlfriend. Merrill may have had the numbers, but Skenes had the "stardom."

More San Diego Padres News and Rumors