Phillies ace receives surprising boost in crowded NL Cy Young race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jacob Misiorowski has the breathtaking ERA. Chris Sale has the overwhelming strikeout numbers. Zack Wheeler has the established reputation. ESPN’s awards model still considers Cristopher Sánchez the pitcher to beat for the National League Cy Young Award.
Sánchez earned a 154.1 rating in the latest edition of ESPN’s AXE rankings, placing him ahead of Milwaukee Brewers phenom Misiorowski at 150.5. Philadelphia Phillies teammate Jesús Luzardo ranked third at 140.7, followed by Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns and Sale. That makes Sánchez the statistical front-runner in one of baseball’s most crowded award races, even though the betting markets have focused more heavily on Misiorowski and Sale.
“The consensus narrative seems to have turned against Sánchez, who has been at or near the top of the AXE leaderboard all season,” ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle wrote in the latest MLB Awards Watch.
Sánchez may not have the loudest Cy Young campaign. His season has been too good to ignore.
Sánchez is winning with volume and consistencyMisiorowski has produced the most intimidating surface numbers. The Brewers right-hander owns a 1.68 ERA and has struck out 39 percent of the batters he has faced. His average game score of 68.2 leads the National League by a wide margin.
Sánchez has built his case differently. The Phillies left-hander works deeper into games, limits damaging contact and consistently gives his team an opportunity to win. He followed a rough outing against the Kansas City Royals before the All-Star break by winning seven of his next eight starts with a 2.18 ERA.
Sánchez entered Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals with 16 victories. He then worked 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven without issuing a walk in Philadelphia’s dramatic 6-4 win. He did allow four runs on nine hits, leaving him with a no-decision. The Phillies eventually won on Kyle Schwarber’s 459-foot walk-off home run in the ninth inning.
The outing was not Sánchez’s best, but it again showed his willingness to handle a meaningful workload. No National League pitcher has a clearer path to 20 wins.
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Sánchez’s biggest obstacle could be the number of elite pitchers surrounding him, including two in his own rotation.Luzardo ranked third in ESPN’s model, while Wheeler placed seventh. Philadelphia was the only team with three starters inside the top seven.
That depth is excellent news for the Phillies’ championship pursuit. It could make the individual awards debate more complicated if voters divide credit among multiple Philadelphia pitchers. Misiorowski has the dominance argument. Sale has been among baseball’s hottest pitchers during the second half. Sánchez has the combination of volume, run prevention and victories.
ESPN’s system currently values Sánchez’s complete body of work above the others. The betting markets do not agree. Misiorowski remains their favorite, with Sale and Sánchez positioned as his leading challengers.
That difference makes the final five weeks particularly important. Sánchez does not need to become a different pitcher. He needs to continue taking the ball, working deep into games and piling up victories for a Phillies team chasing Atlanta in the NL East.
The quietest ace in the race might ultimately leave with the award.
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