Yankees right hand Luis Gil was named the American League Rookie of the Year, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced. Colton Cowser of the Orioles finished second and Gil’s teammate Austin Wells finished third.
Gil, 26, has made his league debut in 2021 despite what his eligibility for the award may mean. The right-hander pitched seven innings in the majors between the 2021 and ’22 seasons, posting a 3.78 ERA in those 33 1/3 innings of work. Unfortunately for Gil, the start of his career was interrupted in early 2022 by Tommy John surgery, and he did not return to the professional mound until the tail end of the minor league season in 2023. Given the long layoff and the fact that the Yankees. entered Spring Training with a solid rotation on paper at Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortesagain Clark Schmidtit initially seemed certain that the 26-year-old would see his return to the ranks delayed as he began the season in the minors to await a chance at the big leagues.
That opportunity came sooner than anyone expected, however, as Cole missed the entire first half after being diagnosed with a nerve problem in his pitching elbow. That opened the door for Gil to make the Opening Day roster as the club’s fifth starter, and he continued to dominate the early months of the season. In his first twelve starts of the year, Gil posted a 1.82 ERA with a 31.5% strikeout rate and a 2.98 FIP in 69 1/3 innings of work. That dominant performance was more than enough to earn him a spot in the rotation even after Cole returned to the rotation, and while Gil’s performance was largely uneven the rest of the season he still entered August with a solid 3.20 ERA and 3.58 FIP. between 21 starts.
August was a rough month for Gil this season, as he made just three appearances before ending up on the injured list due to a strained back. That injury likely contributed to his rough finish to the year, as Gil posted a lackluster 4.38 ERA and 5.76 FIP in eight starts between August and September. Of course, it’s no surprise that Gil seemed to run out of steam late in the year between his lengthy layoff and the fact that his 151 2/3 innings were a career high. Overall, his final numbers were solid thanks to his start to the year overseas, with a 3.50 ERA (117 ERA+) and 4.14 FIP in 29 starts.
The Yankees will not receive a Prospective Promotion Incentive draft pick as a result of Gil’s win, as the right-hander did not appear on the required number of the top 100 prospects list to qualify for the PPI. Not so with second baseman Cowser, who would have earned the Orioles their second straight PPI and Rookie of the Year win had he won the award. The 24-year-old turned in his best season this year, slashing .242/.321/.447 (120 wRC+) with 24 homers in 153 games while splitting time between left field and center field for Baltimore. That impressive showing nearly clinched the award, as Cowser received 13 first-place votes to Gil’s 15 and appeared on 27 votes to Gil’s 26.
That split continued down the vote, as Wells finished in third place despite both Athletics being close. Mason Miller and the Guardians reliever Kade Smith receiving first-place votes while Wells himself did not receive any first-place votes. Miller and Smith finished fourth and fifth for the award, respectively, outside of the Red Sox Wilyer Abreu and an outfielder for the Rangers Wyatt Langford finished sixth and seventh with the fewest votes a clip.
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