Pirates’ Paul Skenes Shows Love for Jayden Daniels
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes had nothing but praise for another star in the NFL.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors for his play in 2024.
Daniels led the franchise to a 7-2 start and a 12-5 record, getting them in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. He also led them to the NFC Championship, getting two playoff wins, their first since 2005 and their first NFC Championship Game since 1991.
He finished with 3,568 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and an NFL rookie quarterback record 891 rushing yards, building the Commanders offense into one of the better units in the league.
Skenes also won National League Rookie of the Year, serving as one of the best pitchers in the MLB in 2024 himself.
He started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133.0 innings pitched, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while making 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
He was also the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers doing so in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
Skenes also made the All-MLB First Team for his performance in 2024 and was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award.
The two players were at LSU before heading off to their respective pro teams, where they starred in college.
Daniels played two seasons with the Tigers, 2022 and 2023, after spending his first three seasons with Arizona State.
He had an incredible 2023 season for LSU, completing 72.2% of his passes for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He also rushed 135 times for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns, for almost 5,000 yards of total offense, earning himself numerous awards and the Heisman Trophy.
Skenes also starred at LSU in 2023, after transferring from Air Force. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched, gave up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while making 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks, leading the program to a National Title that season.
The Commanders took Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, while the Pirates took Skenes No. 1 overall in 2023.
Skenes showed love to Daniels after he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year honor, showing respect for his fellow LSU alum.
"What's up brother!," Skenes said. "From one LSU Tiger to another and from one Rookie of the Year to another, congratulations. It's been awesome to watch you compete over these last few years. Obviously, since you got to LSU, I've been watching and now you're doing it in the NFL. So I can't wait to keep watching and keep going brother.
From one Rookie of the Year and LSU Tiger to another...
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) February 7, 2025
Congratulations, @JayD__5 👏 https://t.co/uXKlvsT6CD pic.twitter.com/zBKEXqpSFT
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.