Does Phillies starter Zack Wheeler have a shot at the NL Cy Young Award? Here's his case.
The Major League Baseball season is rapidly coming to a close.
The regular season will end after the final game on Oct. 1. The playoffs will begin and the final World Series game will be played Oct. 31 at the earliest. Once a World Series champion is crowned the MLB award season will begin.
One of the major awards handed out is the Cy Young Award and the voting will have a local flavor to it.
What is the Cy Young Award?
The Cy Young Award is given to the top pitcher in the American and National Leagues. The award has been given annually since 1956. At first, it was given to the best pitcher in all of baseball. In 1967, the award was changed to honor the top pitchers from both leagues.
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Who was Cy Young?
Denton True "Cy" Young is considered one of Major League Baseball's greatest pitchers. He amassed a record 511 wins. He also hold MLB records for career losses, complete games, innings pitched and games started. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.
Will a Phillies pitcher win the Cy Young Award this year?
It's possible that Zack Wheeler could take home the prize. Wheeler has lead the Phillies' staff this season. He's 13-6 with a 3.64 ERA and 207 strikeouts. His WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is 1,074. Beyond those numbers, here are a few other positives:
Wheeler leads all NL pitchers in fWAR with 5.5 and is tied for 10th among all major leaguers. Of the 56 National League Cy Young Awards handed out since 1967, 30 have gone to the league leader in fWAR that year.
In his 12 second half starts this year, Wheeler has a 3.05 ERA. His 2nd half ERA is the 10th best among NL pitchers with at least 50.0 IP in the second half this year.
Wheeler has five double-digit strikeout games this season, which is tied for third in the NL.
In his last outing, Wheeler earned his 20th quality start of the year, which ranks second in the National League. It's his third season of his career with 20 quality starts and the first since 2021.
Who's the favorite to win the Cy Young Award?
San Diego pitcher Blake Snell has put together an strong season. He's 14-9 with a 2.33 ERA. He has 227 strikeouts and a 1.195 WHIP. Snell won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018 after going 21-5 with a 1,89 ERA and 221 strikeouts.
Has a Phillie ever won a Cy Young Award?
A Phillies pitcher has won the award seven times. Steve Carlton won it four times (1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982). John Denny won in 1983. Steve Bedrosian won in 1987. Roy Halladay won in 2010.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Philadelphia Phillies SP Zack Wheeler has a case for NL Cy Young Award
