Major League Baseball handed out its National League Rookie of the Year Award Monday. This was a two-person race between San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill and Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Paul Skenes. MLB announced the winner of the award just before 3:30 p.m. Monday and Skenes was named the National League Rookie of the Year, with Merrill finishing second in the voting. Skenes received 23 first-place votes and 136 voting points, while Merrill received 7 first-place votes and 104 voting points. Merrill, who switched from shortstop to center field before the season, had a rookie year that not only filled the Padres hole in center, but exceeded expectations. Merrill led all MLB rookies in fWAR (5.3), hits (162), extra-base hits (61), RBI’s (90), batting average (.292), and slugging percentage (.500), and he tied for first with 24 home runs. Merrill was also consistently clutch with 6 game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the 8th inning or later. In addition to what he did with the bat, Merrill played sensational defense in center field. Merrill’s play was a big reason the Padres were able to win 93 games. Skenes is a flame-throwing pitcher who had one of the best seasons by a first-year pitcher in years. Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts, while setting a Pirate rookie record with 170 strikeouts. Skenes played the first month and a half of the season in the minor leagues before being called up by the Pirates. The last Padre player to win Rookie of the Year was Benito Santiago in 1987.