Pitchers winning both ROY Awards? It's rare, but could happen in '24

If the results of our latest Rookie of the Year poll are any indication, we could have some history on our hands later this year.

With the Yankees' Luis Gil and the Pirates' Paul Skenes each holding a commanding lead in their leagues in balloting among MLB.com experts, and with other rookie pitchers -- including the Cubs' Shota Imanaga -- also making noise, we're on track for what would be just the fifth time that two pitchers have won the award in the same year since there were first multiple Rookie of the Year Award winners in 1949.

But within that rarity would be something even more scarce: It would be just the third time that the top rookie awards would go to two starters. Here's a look at previous years in which two pitchers were named the top rookies in each league.

2011

AL: Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Rays
NL: Craig Kimbrel, RP, Braves

Hellickson proved to be a strong presence in the Rays' starting rotation in 2011, going 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 189 innings. He led all AL rookies in innings, ERA and average against (.210), and finished second in strikeouts. The strong showing allowed Hellickson to capture the Rookie of the Year Award with ease, winning 73 percent of the vote share.

Meanwhile, in the NL, Kimbrel's first full season in the bigs was a preview of what we'd see over the better part of the next decade. As the Braves' closer, the hard-throwing righty was an All-Star and led the NL with 46 saves, the first of four straight seasons in which he'd lead either the league or MLB in that category. He also was third among all NL rookie pitchers with 127 strikeouts, despite pitching in just 77 innings, and carried a 2.10 ERA. It added up to a unanimous vote for NL Rookie of the Year.

1981

AL: Dave Righetti, SP, Yankees
NL: Fernando Valenzuela, SP, Dodgers

Righetti had an excellent year in 1981. In 15 starts for the Yankees during the strike-shortened season, the lefty went 8-4 with a sparkling 2.05 ERA, a number that led not only the Yankees' starting staff, but also all qualified AL rookies. He also led AL rookies in strikeouts (89), WHIP (1.07) and average against (.196). Along with leading the Yanks in ERA, Righetti's 7.6 K/9 ratio was also tops on the team. When it came time to vote for AL Rookie of the Year, Righetti was the easy choice.

Meanwhile, "Fernandomania" had the 20-year-old Valenzuela in the running for every major award in the NL. In addition to his runaway Rookie of the Year Award, the lefty with the tantalizing screwball also took the NL Cy Young Award (the first rookie to do that) and finished fifth in MVP voting. It all seemed justified, too, especially with how hot he began the season and the overwhelming popularity that followed. Valenzuela started 1981 by going 8-0 with a 0.50 ERA. This included five shutouts in his first seven starts. Valenzuela ended up going 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and led the NL with 180 strikeouts in 192 1/3 innings. He also led all NL rookies in wins, complete games (11) and shutouts (eight).

1976

AL: Mark Fidrych, SP, Tigers
NL: Butch Metzger, RP, Padres and Pat Zachry, SP, Reds

Fidrych was a national phenomenon in 1976. "The Bird" came seemingly out of nowhere to go 19-9 with a league-leading 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games, and an MLB-best 9.6 bWAR for the Tigers -- complemented by a quirky mound persona that included him frequently talking to both himself and the ball. It made for quite the total package, which explains his landslide Rookie of the Year win and second-place Cy Young finish.

In the NL, it was essentially a tossup between Metzger and Zachry for who would be Rookie of the Year, and the voting bore that out when each received 46 percent of the vote share to earn co-Rookie of the Year honors.

Metzger, a reliever, went 11-4 to go along with 16 saves and a 2.92 ERA for the Padres, while Zachry went 14-7 with a 2.74 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 204 innings for the back-to-back World Series champion Reds, with his ERA and strikeout totals leading all qualified NL rookie starters. Metzger, on the other hand, was third in the NL in ERA among rookies and proved a valuable bullpen piece, appearing in 77 games and tossing 123 1/3 innings in relief.

1952

AL: Harry Byrd, SP, Athletics
NL: Joe Black, RP, Dodgers

Byrd went 15-15 with a 3.31 ERA in 228 1/3 innings as a starter for the Athletics, leading all qualified AL rookies in wins, ERA, strikeouts (116), complete games (15) and shutouts (three). Still, the voting for his award would turn out much closer than that of his National League counterpart as Byrd eked out a win with a 38 percent plurality of the vote.

In the NL, Black's stats show how pitching philosophies have changed over the past several decades. Primarily a reliever, Black made 56 appearances and threw 142 1/3 innings for a 15-4 record, 15 saves (applied retroactively when the stat was introduced in 1969) and a 2.15 ERA. His 15 wins were tied for most among NL rookies (with Hoyt Wilhelm, another reliever) and his 15 saves also paced the NL rookie pack, as did his 1.00 WHIP, leading him to capture 79 percent of the vote and an easy win in the Rookie of the Year race.