PHOTO BY HARRISON BARDEN/PITTSBURGH PIRATES

It was already a history-making rookie campaign for Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes. Now he has the hardware to prove it.

The 22-year-old pitcher was selected on Monday to receive the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award, capping a sparkling year in which he became just the fifth rookie pitcher in history to start the annual All-Star Game. Skenes was named as the league’s best first-year player in an event broadcast on the MLB Network, beating fellow nominees Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres.

“The coolest part is that it kind of puts a bow on this year, and now I can look forward to next year,” Skenes said on the broadcast. “The biggest thing is just to stay present through it all. That helped me this year; I surrounded myself with good people, I think, and I’ve been super lucky to experience all the things that I have.”

Skenes is the second Pirate to be named Rookie of the Year, after Jason Bay was selected in 2004. He is the first Pirates pitcher to take home the award.

The right-hander posted an 11-3 record and a sparkling 1.96 ERA in his first season, setting a team record for strikeouts by a rookie (170) despite pitching just 133 innings. Through his first 21 games, he logged more than 150 strikeouts and kept his ERA below 2.00 — marks that no incoming pitcher has maintained in MLB history.

That performance has also made Skenes a finalist for the Cy Young Award, given annually to the league’s best pitcher. He’s competing with fellow finalists Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Zach Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies. Two Pirates have previously won that award: Vern Law in 1960 and Doug Drabek in 1990.

The Cy Young Awards will be handed out on Wednesday.

An important relic from Skenes’ Rookie of the Year campaign is currently up for grabs. A one-of-one autographed rookie card featuring Skenes’ debut patch is hidden in a pack of Topps Chrome Updated Series cards; the Pirates are offering big rewards, including 30 years of season tickets behind home plate, if the lucky fan who finds it returns it to the team.

Fans looking to greet the new Rookie of the Year can buy tickets for the team’s first homestand of the year, though figuring out when Skenes will take the mound involves some guesswork; he’ll likely pitch the first game of the year, which is on the road at Miami. The Pirates’ home opener is scheduled for Friday, April 4, against the New York Yankees.