The American League Rookie of the Year award is headed to the Bronx.
New York Yankees duo Luis Gil and Austin Wells were up for the award alongside Baltimore Orioles' Colton Cowser.
MLB announced Monday that Gil, a right-handed pitcher for the Yankees, took home the honors.
Luis Gil is your 2024 American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year! pic.twitter.com/4bhKW4xdQ4
— MLB (@MLB) November 18, 2024
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Here's the moment Gil found out he was the recipient.
2024 AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Luis Gil reacts to this memorable moment with his closest people 🥹 pic.twitter.com/8fYO2QjR3Q
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 18, 2024
Gil, 26, signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2015 as an international free agent. Born in the Dominican Republic, Gil made his major league debut in 2021 with the Yankees.
MLB
He started six games that season and posted a 1-1 record with a 3.07 ERA, then made just one appearance in 2022. After recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2023 and getting reps in the minors, Gil returned to the Yankees and became a focal point of the 2024 pitching rotation when ace Gerrit Cole went down.
Across 29 starts, Gil posted a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA. In 151 2/3 innings, he allowed 104 hits and 77 walks while recording 171 strikeouts and a .189/.297/.345 slash line. He led the AL, among all pitchers, in opponent batting average and second in hits per nine innings.
Wells became the Yankees starting catcher at just 25 years old. He batted .229/.322/.395 with 42 runs, 18 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 55 RBIs and 47 walks across 115 games. Both Wells and Gil played key roles in New York's World Series run, eventually falling short.
After Gunnar Henderson took home the honors last season with Baltimore, the franchise had another candidate this season with Cowser. The lefty, a Gold Glove finalist in left field, drilled 24 homers on a .242 average, tied for the most among rookies (San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill) and eight more than his AL counterparts.
Baltimore would've had back-to-back recipients for the award for the first time ever had Cowser won. The last time a Yankees pitcher won AL Rookie of the Year was Dave Righetti in 1981.
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes took home the National League Rookie of the Year award.
