BRONX, NY: The Baseball Writers Association of America voted that Luis Gil, rookie right-hander for the Yankees, was the American League Rookie of the Year.
The Orioles' Colton Cowser came in second, and Gil's teammate Austin Wells came in third. Despite what his candidacy for this award might suggest, Gil, 26, made his big league debut back in 2021.
Between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the right-hander made seven major league starts and pitched 33 1/3 innings for an ERA of 3.78. Gil's career was unfortunately halted by Tommy John surgery in early 2022, and he didn't return to a professional mound until the end of the minor league season in 2023.
At first, it appeared almost inevitable that the 26-year-old would see his return to the majors further delayed as he started the season in the minors to await a big league opportunity, especially considering his lengthy layoff and the Yankees' strong on-paper rotation going into Spring Training, which included Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, and Clarke Schmidt.
But that chance arrived sooner than everyone had anticipated, as Cole missed the first half due to a nerve problem in his throwing elbow. Gil was able to start as the team's fifth starter on Opening Day as a result, and he went on to dominate in the first few months of the season. Gil pitched 69 1/3 innings in his first twelve starts of the season, recording an incredible 1.82 ERA, 31.5% strikeout rate, and 2.98 FIP.
Even after Cole rejoined the rotation, Gil's strong performance was more than enough to secure him a position, and even though his play was much more inconsistent for the rest of the season, he still started the month of August with a 3.20 ERA, alongside a 3.58 FIP.
Down the ballot, that split voting persisted, with Wells finishing in third place even though he did not receive any first place votes, while Athletics closer Mason Miller and Guardians reliever Cade Smith each received one first place vote. With a few down ballot votes each, Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford and Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu ended sixth and seventh in the award race, respectively, while Miller and Smith came in fourth and fifth.
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