Skenes joins exclusive club of No. 1 picks to win ROY

When he was announced as the winner of the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Award on Monday night, Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes became just the fifth No. 1 overall Draft selection to win the honor, and the first pitcher.

It was a fitting cap to a whirlwind year for the flamethrowing phenom, who reached the Majors less than a year after Pittsburgh selected him first overall in the 2023 Draft.

• Every No. 1 overall Draft pick in MLB history

Here’s a look at the other four players to be named Rookie of the Year after going No. 1 in the June/July primary MLB Draft:

Carlos Correa, 2015
The Astros drafted Correa first overall out of Puerto Rico in the 2012 Draft, and within three years, he had reached the big leagues. In 99 games during the 2015 season, the 20-year-old shortstop belted 22 home runs while stealing 14 bases with an .857 OPS. Correa edged fellow shortstop Francisco Lindor to win that year’s American League Rookie of the Year Award. Since then, he's been selected as an All-Star three times and won a Gold Glove Award at shortstop in 2021.

• Ranking the all-time No. 1 Draft picks in MLB history

Bryce Harper, 2012
Harper was chosen first overall by the Nationals in the 2010 Draft, and within two years, he was in the Major Leagues at age 19. Before he was even drafted, Harper was one of the most hyped prospects in baseball history. He quickly proved that the hype was justified, posting an .817 OPS with 22 homers and 18 steals to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Along the way, he also earned his first All-Star selection. Since then, he's won a pair of MVP Awards and seven more All-Star nods.

Darryl Strawberry, 1983
Drafted No. 1 overall by the Mets out of Los Angeles’ Crenshaw High School in 1980, Strawberry immediately justified the pick. He made his MLB debut in May 1983, and in 122 games that season, the tall and powerful slugger launched 26 homers and stole 19 bases in addition to posting an .848 OPS for New York at age 21.

Strawberry was named an All-Star in each of the next eight seasons, finishing among the top 10 in NL MVP voting four times. Overall, he played 17 Major League seasons and hit 335 home runs, driving in 1,000 runs with an .862 OPS.

Bob Horner, 1978
Horner was the first overall pick in the 1978 Draft out of Arizona State University, and that very year, he played in the Majors with the Braves. He is one of 23 players in MLB history who bypassed the Minor Leagues altogether.

Just 10 days after his name was the first to be called in the Draft, Horner made his MLB debut against Bert Blyleven and the Pirates. He launched a two-run homer off the future Hall of Famer for his first Major League hit. Overall, Horner hit 23 home runs with an .852 OPS in 89 games to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. The corner infielder had a 10-year MLB career over which he hit 218 homers.

Other notable first overall picks and where they finished in ROY voting

Gerrit Cole (2013)
The Pirates selected Cole with the first pick of the 2011 Draft out of UCLA. The sturdy right-hander was very good in his first Major League season in 2013, posting a 3.22 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP over 19 starts for Pittsburgh, but he didn’t receive NL Rookie of the Year Award votes -- Marlins right-hander José Fernández won the honor that year.

Stephen Strasburg (2010)
Strasburg was one of the most hyped pitching prospects in history and made his MLB debut with the Nationals in 2010 after Washington had selected him No. 1 in the Draft just the previous year. The flamethrowing right-hander was electric in 12 starts, finishing with a 2.91 ERA and striking out 33.6% of the batters he faced. Likely because he pitched only about a third of a season for a starting pitcher, he didn’t receive NL Rookie of the Year votes -- the winner that year was Giants catcher Buster Posey.

Joe Mauer (2004)
Mauer, who was the No. 1 overall pick by his hometown Twins in 2001, didn’t receive any AL Rookie of the Year votes in '04, when he appeared in 35 games and posted a .939 OPS with six home runs. In his first full Major League season the next year, he hit .294/.372/.411 in 131 games. Mauer won the first of three batting titles in '06, was named the 2009 AL MVP, was selected as an All-Star six times and won three Gold Glove Awards behind the plate during his Hall of Fame career.

Chipper Jones (1995)
The Braves drafted Jones with the top overall pick in 1990, and by ’93, he had made his MLB debut with four plate appearances in September. The switch-hitting third baseman was injured in ’94 but returned in ’95 with a campaign that earned him a runner-up finish to the Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Jones connected for 23 home runs with an .803 OPS, setting the stage for a Hall of Fame career that featured 468 homers and a slash line of .303/.401/.529.

Alex Rodriguez (1995)
Rodriguez exceeded his rookie status in 1995, but he only played in 48 games that season after appearing in 17 games during the ’94 campaign. The Mariners chose him first overall in ’93 out of high school, and he only needed 114 Minor League games before being called up to Seattle. In his first full MLB season, Rodriguez finished runner-up in 1996 AL MVP voting by hitting .358 to lead the Majors and posting a 1.045 OPS with 36 home runs. He ended up belting 696 home runs over a 22-year career with the Mariners, Rangers and Yankees.

Ken Griffey Jr. (1989)
Griffey, one of the greatest center fielders of all time and the first top overall Draft pick to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, made his highly anticipated MLB debut with the Mariners on Opening Day in 1989, less than two years after Seattle drafted him out of Cincinnati’s Moeller High School. He doubled in Oakland for his first Major League hit in his first plate appearance, going on to hit 16 homers with a .749 OPS to finish third in AL Rookie of the Year balloting. Junior, despite several injuries during his 22-year MLB career, finished with 630 home runs and 10 Gold Glove Awards.