"I don't think Paul Skenes should be in the discussion" - Ex-Twins slugger sees Jackson Merrill & Jackson Chourio in two-man race to win NL ROY
MLB insider Chris Rose and ex-Minnesota Twins hitter Trevor Plouffe discussed the prospects of Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio for the Rookie of the Year award.
Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates), the undisputed favorite until July, has seen his claim to the award decline. Merrill (San Diego Padres) and, more recently, Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers) have maintained a high level of performance in the past few months.
Also, Merrill and Chourio are both positional players and hold the advantage over Skenes, a starting pitcher. A positional player plays every single day, which leads to them being favored for individual awards such as the ROTY. On the other hand, a starting pitcher typically plays only once every five days.
On the latest episode of Baseball Today, Plouffe shared his opinion on who the award winner might be. (16:17)
"I was ready to come on here and tell you that I've already cemented that Jackson Merrill's the guy. The numbers are there, he's played every single day for a winning team, and got all these late homers. I think he still does have that on Chourio, the game-tying/go-ahead homers, it's been great."
Moving further, Plouffe acknowledged that the battle between Chourio and Merrill was actually much closer, stats-wise, than he thought.
"But the overall numbers are neck and neck. Chourio could continue to go off, and by the end of the year, his numbers [could be great]. If he has a big month, and we see Jackson Merrill struggle, this could flip for me. It's a lot closer than I thought."
FInally, the ex-twins man talked about why, according to him, Paul Skenes is no longer one of the frontrunners for the award.
"I dont think Paul Skenes should be in the discussion anymore. Everyday players, to me, will get the nod every single time, especially if they've been up all year long."
Paul Skenes pitches a gem, Chourio and Merrill both hit home runs
In keeping with the intense race for the Rookie of the Year award this season, all three of the main candidates showed their credentials by registering good performances recently.
Paul Skenes pitched a gem for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who ran out 5-0 winners against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. The ace struck out six, keeping the opposition scoreless as he pitched five innings.
Jackson Chourio hit a solo home run for the Milwaukee Brewers, but ultimately ended up on the losing side on Tuesday. Despite coming back to tie the game after initially conceding runs in the very first inning, the Brewers lost a thrilling encounter against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 12th inning.
Jackson Merrill also added another home run to his tally for the season. He hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning to give the Padres the lead in the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. The runs proved to be vital as the Padres won the game 4-3, winning the series in the process.