Rookies take top organizational awards for first time

For the first time in the Philadelphia Athletics 27-year history the team's top offensive and pitching players are rookies. The organization today named 22-year-old Paul Skenes as the Lefty Grove Award winner. And 20-year-old Jackson Chourio was named winner of the club's Jimmy Foxx Award.

Skenes was selected in the first round of last year's WFBL Minors Draft in tandem with outfielder Wyatt Langford, with Skenes formally slotted at #3 and Langford at #2. Both youngsters broke in with the club back in May, Skenes a couple weeks before Langford. Both helped propel the club to a winning second half record.

The right-handed Skenes would register 13 Quality Starts among the 17 he made during the regular season, second on the staff behind only George Kirby, who made nine more starts. Kirby took home the Grove Awards honors last year. Skenes struck out 130 opposing batters across his 104 innings pitched, just 13 fewer than Kirby's 143 done in nearly 45 more innings. With a 2.16 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, each mark best among the club's starting pitchers, Skenes further demonstrated his dominance. His eight Wins tied Kirby for second in the rotation, behind only nine registered by Brayan Bello.

At the plate, the 20-year-old Chourio slashed .268/.315 in his rookie campaign after being promoted to the Majors in late May, at the same time as Langford. That duo became regulars from that point, though Langford did suffer an injury that knocked him out for over a month. Chourio led the club with 56 RBI and 61 Runs. His 17 steals tied for the lead and 15 homers were second among the A's hitters.

Skenes was preceded earlier this year in the A's rotation by rookie Japanese import Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was injured for most of the second half. Chourio in center field, and Langford in left field were joined this season by fellow rookies in second baseman Colt Keith and right fielder James Wood in the everyday lineup. That group combined to give Athletics fans a preview of what is hoped will be great things to come as the ball club moves into 2025 and beyond.