In MLB.com’s first Rookie of the Year poll of the second half, a flamethrowing phenom is solidifying his grip atop the National League list, while an extremely tight race is shaping up in the American League between division rivals.

A panel of 36 MLB.com experts cast their ballots, with rookies receiving vote points on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale -- five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on. Here are the results:

American League

1. Colton Cowser, Orioles (16 first-place votes)

Cowser jumped from third in our last Rookie of the Year poll to the top of the latest list thanks to a surge at the plate since the All-Star break. When the unofficial second half of the season began on July 14, the 24-year-old outfielder had a slash line of .219/.306/.418 with 12 home runs in 2024. In 13 games since then, he has an OPS over 1.100 with four homers.

Following a strong opening month, when he hit .303/.372/.632 with six homers, Cowser struggled to a .606 OPS the rest of the first half. But his swing has returned just in time for the stretch run as the O’s look to outrun the Yankees in a tight division race to win Baltimore’s second consecutive AL East title.

Defensively, Cowser has been brilliant. He entered play Thursday ranked fourth among all MLB outfielders with 10 Outs Above Average.

2. Luis Gil, Yankees (14 first-place votes)

Gil vaulted into the baseball world’s consciousness with a spectacular May -- in six starts that month, the right-hander posted a 0.70 ERA and opponents hit just .109 against him. He also surged to the top of our third Rookie of the Year poll in early June.

But the 26-year-old ran into trouble that month. After six scoreless innings on June 4, Gil had an 8.85 ERA over his next five outings.

Despite his struggles, Gil turned things around. In four starts since that rough stretch, Gil has pitched to a 2.35 ERA and brought down what had become a concerningly high walk rate. In 23 innings over that span, he struck out 30 and walked only five. As a result, he very nearly returned to the top spot in our balloting, just two first-place votes shy of Cowser.

3. Mason Miller, A’s (3 first-place votes)

Coming off back-to-back second place finishes in our Rookie of the Year poll, Miller dropped to third this time, but that probably has less to do with his performance and more to do with the fact that he’s hurt. The flamethrowing closer broke the pinky finger on his left (non-throwing) hand.

Even so, Miller has established himself as the most electric closer in the game by posting a 2.21 ERA with 15 saves and an incredible 45.8% strikeout rate. His overpowering fastball, which has averaged 100.9 mph (and set an All-Star Game record last month), along with a devastating slider have made him appointment viewing when he’s healthy.

Miller is expected to return to the mound sometime in August, and he’ll certainly get some AL Rookie of the Year consideration.

4. Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox

Abreu has played a key role in helping the Red Sox stay in the thick of the AL Wild Card race as the home stretch of the season approaches. The 25-year-old right fielder has been hot at the plate of late, posting an .899 OPS with two doubles and a homer since the All-Star break.

Abreu has shined in high-leverage situations, in particular -- with runners in scoring position, he’s hitting .324/.364/.544, and with two outs and runners in scoring position, he’s been even better, posting a slash line of .346/.414/.654.

Abreu has also been good defensively. He has 6 defensive runs saved and 2 Outs Above Average, each ranking him in the top 10 among right fielders.

5. Wyatt Langford, Rangers (1 first-place vote)

It was a rough start for Langford after a tremendous Cactus League performance in the spring led to him being named to the Opening Day roster less than a year after he was drafted fourth overall out of the University of Florida. But he’s bounced back over the past several weeks -- entering play on June 3, he had a .565 OPS on the season, and since then, he’s posted a .777 OPS.

Langford has also had some big moments so far during his rookie campaign. On June 30, he hit for the cycle, becoming the first Rangers rookie to do so in 39 years. And on July 22, he doubled and scored the game-tying run in the ninth inning and then delivered a walk-off single in the 10th to lift Texas to a 4-3 win over the White Sox.

The 22-year-old outfielder/designated hitter has demonstrated just how exciting a player he can be, and if he finishes the season strong, he could certainly garner some Rookie of the Year votes.

Others receiving votes: Ceddanne Rafaela (Red Sox; two 1st-place votes), Austin Wells (Yankees), Colt Keith (Tigers), Cade Smith (Guardians), Nolan Schanuel (Angels), Simeon Woods-Richardson (Twins), Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays)

National League

1. Paul Skenes, Pirates (33 first-place votes)

For the second consecutive Rookie of the Year poll, Skenes is the overwhelming leader (he got 30 of 37 votes last time, and 33 of 36 this time around). And for good reason: the flamethrowing phenom has continued to dominate opposing hitters, all the while further etching his name in the history books.

In his most recent start, against the Astros in Houston on Monday, Skenes became only the sixth pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1901) to strike out 100 or more batters within his first 13 career games. And over those 13 starts, the big right-hander posted a 1.90 ERA and struck out exactly one-third of the batters he faced.

That’s only a small sample of Skenes’ accomplishments during his rookie campaign, which includes other historical achievements and the honor of becoming the first rookie pitcher in 29 years to start the All-Star Game.

Suffice it to say: Skenes is the man to beat in the NL Rookie of the Year race. In fact, he’ll likely get significant Cy Young Award consideration -- in our last two pitcher power rankings, he was at the top of the list among all pitchers, not just rookies.

2. Jackson Merrill, Padres (3 first-place votes)

Merrill showed early on in his rookie season that he belongs in the Majors. It was clear he had an advanced hitting approach for his age that led to a .280 batting average over his first month in the big leagues. But his power numbers weren’t there through the first couple of months of the season.

That changed dramatically in June, when he went on a home run binge, launching nine of them during the month (and seven in a 10-game span) while posting a .996 OPS. He also hit a huge, game-tying homer against the Dodgers in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s dramatic win that completed a sweep over San Diego’s powerful neighbor to the north.

Defensively, Merrill has made some tremendous plays -- including a diving catch to take away extra bases from Shohei Ohtani, and a weird play that preserved Dylan Cease’s no-hitter last month -- and has been above average in center field in terms of Outs Above Average (3).

3. Shota Imanaga, Cubs

Imanaga actually led our Rookie of the Year polls in May and June, but a rough outing against the Mets on June 21, in which he gave up 10 runs on 11 hits (including three homers) over three innings, knocked him down to third in our last two rankings.

Even with that poor start, Imanaga owns a 3.09 ERA over 116 1/3 innings for the Cubs this season, his first in the Majors after eight in Nippon Professional Baseball. The left-hander was named an All-Star as a rookie and appeared in the Midsummer Classic, tossing a scoreless fourth inning in Arlington.

A lot can happen over the final two months of the season, and Imanaga is in position to make a run at the Rookie of the Year Award if he can return to the level of dominance he showed over the first two months of the season.

4. Masyn Winn, Cardinals

With his 2-for-5 performance on Thursday night against the Cubs, which included his eighth homer of the season, Winn improved his 2024 slash line to .281/.329/.414. He’s been great defensively, entering Thursday leading MLB shortstops with 12 defensive runs saved.

Still just 22 years old, Winn has a cannon for an arm (his average arm strength, per Statcast, is 93.1 mph) and excellent speed (28.8 feet/second average sprint speed, per Statcast). He figures to be manning shortstop for St. Louis for many years to come.

5. Michael Busch, Cubs

Busch cracked the top five in our Rookie of the Year poll for the second time this season (he was ranked fourth in our May 7th edition). Though he’s been struggling of late, he finished the first half of the season with an .823 OPS and 12 home runs for the Cubs.

Traded to Chicago by the Dodgers last January, the 26-year-old corner infielder has an excellent eye at the plate, as evidenced by his 11.8% walk rate, and he has been adept at connecting with the baseball on the sweet spot of the bat -- according to Statcast, he has a sweet spot rate of 41.8%, which puts him in the 90th percentile among qualifying hitters.

Others receiving votes: Jackson Chourio (Brewers), Gavin Stone (Dodgers), Joey Ortiz (Brewers), Jared Jones (Pirates), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers), Tyler Fitzgerald (Giants), Kyle Harrison (Giants), James Wood (Nationals)