The last time the Yankees had a pitcher receive the American League Rookie of the Year award was after losing to the Dodgers in the World Series.
Luis Gil will find out Monday night if his strong season helping carry the Yankees rotation has earned him the AL’s ultimate rookie honor. The right-hander was named last week as a finalist for AL Rookie of the Year, along with teammate Austin Wells and Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser.
Dave Righetti in 1981 — which ended with the team losing to the Dodgers in the Fall Classic — was the last Yankees pitcher to win the award. The Yankees last had the AL Rookie of the Year in 2017, when Aaron Judge won.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil #81 reacts after he believed he got a double play but was a forced out during the fourth inning.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 151 ²/₃ innings last season over 20 starts.
In 17 of those starts, Gil allowed one or no earned runs. Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet each had 17 such starts to tie Gil for the major league lead in that category.
Among rookies in franchise history, only Russ Ford — with 209 strikeouts in 1910 — recorded more strikeouts than Gil.
The 26-year-old Gil was at his best in May and early June, when he assembled a stretch of seven starts in which he went 6-0 with a 0.60 ERA.
Gil’s 3.1 Baseball-Reference WAR last season was the highest among Yankees pitchers.
Wells, 25, became the Yankees starting catcher this season and gave the team a presence behind the plate and offensively.
Pitcher Dave Righetti #19 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch during a game in October of 1981.MLB Photos via Getty Images
New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil #81 throws a pitch during the second inning.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Wells ranked in MLB’s 96th percentile in pitch framing, according to Statcast, and his four blocks above average placed him in the 75th percentile.
Offensively, Wells produced at a .229/.322/.395 clip with 13 homers and 55 RBIs.
The Yankees haven’t had a catcher win AL Rookie of the Year since Thurman Munson in 1970.
“It’s a heavy responsibility to be a big league catcher, let alone be a big league catcher for the New York Yankees,” manager Aaron Boone said in September. “[Wells] has handled all that really well and shown that ability from jump. Now we’ve really seen him start to become a force offensively, too.”
Cowser has a chance to become the second straight Orioles player to win the award — Gunnar Henderson received it last year.
Cowser, 24, had a .243/.321/.447 slash line with 24 homers and 69 RBIs in 153 games for the Orioles.
The NL Rookie of the Year — with Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio as finalists — will also be named on Monday.
