The last time the Yankees had a pitcher win the American League Rookie of the Year award was after they lost to the Dodgers in the World Series.
Lewis Gil will find out Monday night whether his strong season in the Yankees' rotation has earned him the AL's ultimate rookie honor. The right-handed pitcher was named a finalist for American League Rookie of the Year last week, along with teammate Austin Wells and Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser.
Dave Righetti was the last Yankees pitcher to win the award in 1981, even though his team lost to the Dodgers in the Fall Classic. The last time the Yankees won the AL Rookie of the Year award was in 2017, when Aaron Judge won the award.
Gill started 20 games last season, posting a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 151 square innings.
In 17 of those starts, Gill allowed one or no earned runs. Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet each made 17 starts, tied for the major league lead in that category with Gil.
The only rookie in franchise history to have more strikeouts than Gill was Russ Ford, who had 209 strikeouts in 1910.
Gill, 26, was at his best from May to early June, starting seven consecutive games and posting a 6-0 record with a 0.60 ERA.
Gil's Baseball-Reference WAR of 3.1 last season was the best of any Yankees pitcher.
Wells, 25, became the Yankees' starting catcher this season, providing a presence behind the plate and on offense.
According to Statcast, Wells ranks in the 96th percentile in MLB in pitch framing and in the 75th percentile in getting four blocks above average.
Offensively, Wells hit .229/.322/.395 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs.
The Yankees haven't had a catcher win the American League Rookie of the Year since Thurman Munson in 1970.
“Being a big league catcher, much less a big league catcher for the New York Yankees, is a huge responsibility,” manager Aaron Boone said in September. “[Wells] He handled them all really well and showed his ability from the jump. Now we're really seeing him start to become a force on the offensive end as well. ”
Kauser has a chance to become the first Orioles player to win the award for the second year in a row, with Gunnar Henderson winning the award last year.
Kauser, 24, appeared in 153 games with the Orioles, hitting .243/.321/.447 with 24 home runs and 69 RBIs.
The National League Rookie of the Year award (Paul Skeens, Jackson Merrill and Jackson Choriot are finalists) will also be selected on Monday.
