Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is already the National League Rookie of the Year. He's also a finalist for the 2024 NL Cy Young Award, alongside Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler of the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies respectively.

While it could be a banner three days for Skenes, with MLB announcing the Cy Young winner Wednesday evening, the Pirates rookie had a surprising response when faced with the possibility.

Skenes said that while it was nice to be considered, he thought Sale could and should win the Cy Young, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Skenes is nothing if not humble. The 22-year-old barely reacted to his Rookie of the Year win, letting his girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, handle the celebration while seated next to him. And no matter what he says, Skenes certainly has the numbers to warrant consideration. In 23 starts since coming up to the big leagues, Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.947 WHIP. He also averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings compared to only 2.2 walks. In 133 innings pitched, Skenes allowed just 94 hits and 10 home runs.

It's a difficult resume to parse compared to Sale's. Sale started six more games, going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.013 WHIP. His 225 strikeouts were a National League best, while Sale also led the league in ERA+, FIP, strikeouts per nine innings, and home runs allowed per nine.

To make Sale's season even more impressive, it came at age 35 after a string of seasons in which he battled injury. The former Boston Red Sox ace missed the entire 2020 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, then started only 11 total games the next two seasons. The Red Sox traded him to the Braves last offseason and Atlanta immediately put its faith in the eight-time All-Star, signing him to a contract extension.

And don't forget about Wheeler, who also has a strong case himself. He led the league with a 0.955 WHIP and boasted a career-best 2.57 ERA over exactly 200 innings pitched. Sale might have Skenes' endorsement, but Bryce Harper is backing Wheeler, his teammate.

He's the Cy Young, man,” Harper said in September. “I don't think anybody in baseball is better than him at this point. People down in Atlanta probably think the same thing about the guy throwing down there. I think he got robbed of it three years ago and I believe he earned it this year.”