The case for each Rookie of the Year finalist

There were many great rookie campaigns in 2024, but only one player from each league will take home the Rookie of the Year Award.

This year, the American League finalists form an AL East trio, with Colton Cowser of the Orioles and a pair of Yankees -- Luis Gil and Austin Wells -- being named finalists. In the National League, Paul Skenes, the Pirates' flamethrowing phenom, jumped out to frontrunner status early on, but the Jacksons -- Merrill of the Padres and Chourio of the Brewers -- closed the gap with sensational performances down the stretch.

Who will be named the 2024 Rookie of the Year in each league? Here's a look at the case for each of the six Rookie of the Year candidates before the winners are announced Monday on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET.

American League

Colton Cowser, OF, Orioles

After not hitting a homer over 77 plate appearances during his first 26-game stint in the big leagues in 2023, Cowser’s power took a huge step forward during his ‘24 rookie campaign. His 24 home runs were tied with Merrill for most among MLB rookies and were eight more than any other AL rookie.

But Cowser did so much more than slug homers for the Orioles this past season. The 24-year-old hit 24 doubles (third among AL rookies) and three triples (seventh) while collecting 69 RBIs (third) and 77 runs scored (first). His .768 OPS was third among AL rookies.

A Gold Glove Award finalist in left field, Cowser began the year by playing impressive defense at all three outfield spots before settling in as the everyday starter in left. He ranked second among MLB left fielders with plus-8 Outs Above Average.

Cowser’s 4.0 fWAR was best among AL rookies, and his 3.1 bWAR tied for third with Gil, behind only Texas’ Wyatt Langford (3.9) and Boston’s Wilyer Abreu (3.5), neither of whom is a Rookie of the Year Award finalist.

“I'm on the Cowser Rookie of the Year bandwagon,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde said at his end-of-season press conference. “That's a heck of a year.”

It certainly was, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Cowser follows in the footsteps of teammate Gunnar Henderson, the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year. It’d be the first time Baltimore has had consecutive recipients of the award. -- Jake Rill

Luis Gil, RHP, Yankees

Gil showcased the promise of a frontline starting pitcher in the making, helping the Yankees cover for an early-season injury to ace Gerrit Cole by posting a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts. In 151 2/3 innings, the 26-year-old permitted 104 hits and 77 walks while striking out 171, holding opponents to a .189/.297/.345 slash line.

Among all pitchers, Gil led the AL in opponent batting average and was second in hits per nine innings (6.17). He was fourth in the AL for K/9 IP (10.15), sixth in opponent slugging and 10th in opponent OPS (.643). He also paced all AL rookies in wins and tied for the rookie lead in strikeouts. -- Bryan Hoch

Austin Wells, C, Yankees

Don’t underestimate how difficult it is to become a starting catcher as a rookie while wearing Yankees pinstripes, a feat that Wells achieved nicely while showing signs of a bright future to come.

Wells batted .229/.322/.395 with 42 runs, 18 doubles, a triple, 13 homers, 55 RBIs and 47 walks in 115 games. Among AL rookies, Wells ranked fourth in game-winning RBIs (8), fifth in on-base percentage, slugging and OPS (.718), tied for fifth in homers and extra-base hits (32) and placed sixth in RBIs and go-ahead RBIs (10). -- Bryan Hoch

National League

Jackson Chourio, OF, Brewers

On June 1, Chourio’s OPS sunk to a season-low .575 and teammates worried so much about his tentative play in the outfield and on the bases that a couple of veterans sat him down for a chat. At best, it looked like the youngest player in the Major Leagues was overwhelmed. At worst, it looked like the Brewers may have made a mistake when they agreed to an eight-year, $82 million extension the previous winter that set a record for a player yet to step foot in the big leagues.

But it turned into a historic season for the outfielder from Maracaibo, Venezuela. From June 2 through the end of the regular season, Chourio slashed .305/.360/.527 with 16 of his 21 home runs and 15 of his 22 stolen bases. He did things nobody had ever seen before, like calling a grand slam before the Brewers had put any runners on base on Sept. 2 against the Cardinals or becoming the first player to join the 20-20 club as a 20-year-old on Sept. 12 against the Giants.

On the night the Brewers clinched their sixth postseason berth in the past seven seasons, it was Chourio who tripled and scored the winning run against the Phillies. The Brewers had a stroller stocked with non-alcoholic drinks waiting for him in the clubhouse.

“He’s showing he’s superstar material to the world,” Willy Adames said. -- Adam McCalvy

Jackson Merrill, CF, Padres

No slight on Skenes, who arrived with massive expectations, then lived up to those expectations. It’s just that another, less-heralded rookie equaled Skenes’ level of excellence -- and he did so over the course of a full season’s worth of games.

The statistical case for Merrill is simple enough. Over 156 games, he led all Major League rookies in fWAR (5.3), hits (162), extra-base hits (61), RBIs (90), batting average (.292) and slugging percentage (.500), and he tied for first with 24 home runs. Merrill also played an outstanding center field, worth 12 Outs Above Average.

But Merrill’s impact goes well beyond those numbers. At the plate, he was as clutch as any player in baseball -- as clutch as any rookie in recent memory. With the Padres in the midst of a tight playoff race, Merrill launched five game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning or later. That was the most in the Majors in 2024, and the most by a rookie since at least 1961. Those home runs came against some especially dominant relievers, too -- Mason Miller, Blake Treinen and Edwin Díaz among them.

Additionally, Merrill’s teammates raved about his energy and playing style. In a clubhouse full of big personalities, Merrill took on a leadership role as a 21-year-old rookie. He had never played center field before in his life. But the Padres needed one, and Merrill welcomed the challenge.

The Padres haven’t had a Rookie of the Year Award winner since Benito Santiago in 1987. But they haven't seen a rookie season like this one in at least that long. -- AJ Cassavell

Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates

With respect to Chourio, who had a great rookie campaign, this has been a two-man race between Skenes and Merrill for months now. If you combine their WAR according to Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, Skenes has a slight edge (10.2 for Skenes, 9.7 for Merrill), but that’s not why Skenes is the guy.

Skenes’ contributions had a bigger impact on his team’s success (3.7 win probability added for Skenes, 2.0 for Merrill, according to Baseball Reference). Skenes was the one who started the All-Star Game. Skenes was the one who was must-watch TV once every six games.

The stats were historic, too. No rookie pitcher in the Live Ball Era made as many starts as him (23) and had a lower ERA (1.96). His 170 strikeouts were a new franchise record for rookies. And among all pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched, he led the NL in ERA, expected ERA (2.50), strikeouts per nine innings (11.5), walks and hits per nine innings (0.95) and strikeout rate minus walk rate (26.8%).

Skenes' case this awards season transcends not only Rookie of the Year, but the Cy Young Award as well, all with the handicap of being in the Minor Leagues for the first month and a half of his first full professional season.

Merrill had a season that wins Rookie of the Year four times out of five. Skenes had one that should win five times out of five. -- Alex Stumpf