We have a new NL Rookie of the Year favorite in Paul Skenes. Skenes has been great for the Pirates and now leads the way in NL ROY odds at -220 on FanDuel. Paul Skenes is the betting favorite to become the next NL ROY Winner over Jackson Merrill and fellow pitcher Shota Imanaga. He has been great this season and has helped the Pirates pitching staff a lot. He has been the second-best pitcher for the Pirates next to their ace Mitch Keller. Skenes has been great and has been key to the Pirates not completely struggling on the mound this year.

Paul Skenes has lived up to the hype of the Pirates drafting him no.1 overall. He has a 4-0 record, a 2.14 ERA which is the best of any of the starting pitchers in Pittsburgh and he also has a 0.99 WHIP. He is well on his way to having a historic season as a rookie and because of that, he is the overwhelming favorite to win the award now. The Pirates have also been able to count on wins more often than not when he has pitched with the Pirates having a 6-2 record when he has been in the lineup.

Contenders for the NL ROY Award:

Paul Skenes has been red-hot on the mound and has made this award very easy, with him jumping Shota Imanaga in the race. This race could still get interesting, but as of right now Skenes has this award locked up and it should give the voters a very easy choice.

Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

Paul Skenes (-220): Paul Skenes has burst onto the scene this year and somehow lived up to how good he was projected to be right out of the gate. He is undefeated on the mound with a 4-0 record and has a 2.14 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. He has played in half of the innings as their other pitchers like Keller and Jared Jones and leads the way in ERA over both of them. There is already an argument to be made that Skenes is the best pitcher for the Pirates and maybe their best player. He is playing great on the mound and has not had a bad game yet. The Pirates have some talent in this pitching staff with Keller mainly, but Skenes has emerged and has been great. He is still the best option for the Pirates and will probably see his role grow this season and obviously from here on out.

Jackson Merrill (+460): Jackson Merrill has been great at centerfield for the Padres this season. He has a .284 batting average, 10 home runs, 37 RBI, and a .752 OPS. Merrill has jumped into the role as one of the best offensive players for the Padres and has been playing well in his role in the outfield. He is the best candidate from an offensive standpoint because the other two contenders are pitchers. Merrill has jumped at his chance in the MLB and even with the Padres getting rid of offensive playmakers, mainly Juan Soto he has helped their offense be one of the best in the league.

Shota Imanaga (+650): Shota Imanaga is thriving on the mound for the Cubs pitching staff. He has been carrying the Cubs at different points this season, especially with how much they have struggled behind the plate. This season Imanaga has a 7-2 record, a 2.96 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP. He has played very well and has made an immediate impact on the Cubs. He is just behind Jameson Taillon in ERA and has one of the best WHIPs on the team too. He has been asked to do a lot for the Cubs and has passed the test very well.