Paul Skeens, who has just begun his major league career, is making headlines in the National League Rookie of the Year race.
After an exhilarating debut against the Cubs on Saturday, Skeens reached +1500 to win the award, which was just outside the top five on FanDuel Sportsbook’s odds board.
Hours before his long-awaited first start with the Pirates, Skeens was rated +1700 on FanDuel.
Skenes was up to +900 before he left the game.
National League Rookie of the Year odds
| player | odds |
|---|---|
| Shota Imanaga | +190 |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | +420 |
| Jared Jones | +650 |
| michael bush | 10/1 |
| Andy Pages | 10/1 |
| jackson merrill | 12/1 |
| Paul Skeens | 15/1 |
| Lee Jung Hoo | 40/1 |
| jackson chorio | 40/1 |
The flamethrower genius struggled throughout the game, but showed flashes of stardom in his first major league mound appearance.
Although Skeens struck out seven batters over four innings, reached 162 mph on the radar gun, and allowed six hits, two walks, and a batter hit, he attracted the attention of gambling officials.
His only blemish through the fourth inning was a solo home run off the bat of Chicago second baseman Nico Horner.
His lack of sharpness with his right arm caught up with him in the fifth inning, when he was retired with two runners on, and he finally scored, throwing a total of 84 pitches without getting anyone out.
Thanks to Skeens’ dominant performance in the minor leagues, he made it to the majors less than a year after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB draft.
Before being called up, the 21-year-old posted a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts and just eight walks in 27 1/3 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Skeens will need to outperform teammate and fellow rookie Jared Jones if he wants to take home any hardware this season.
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Jones had a dominant performance through eight starts, posting a 2.68 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 47 innings.
Currently, with odds of +650, he has the third highest odds after Shota Imanaga (+190) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+420).
Skeens is likely to pitch next weekend against the Cubs, this time at Wrigley Field.
