That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies first half award winners: Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, and more

By John Town

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 10: Maikel Franco #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates a 7-3 win against the New York Mets after their game at Citi Field on July 10, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 10: Maikel Franco #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates a 7-3 win against the New York Mets after their game at Citi Field on July 10, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 17: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies and the National League pitches in the fifth inning against the American League during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Cy Young: Aaron Nola

If you opened this article and expected anyone but Aaron Nola to be here, I don’t know what kind of drugs you are on. Not only has Nola been the best pitcher on the team, he has been one of the best pitchers in the entire league.

After a strong 2017 season, Nola took another step forward in his development in the first half this year. In 20 starts, he has a 12-3 record, 2.30 ERA, 2.60 fielding-independent pitching, 0.977 WHIP, and 3.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

To put things in perspective, Nola already has been worth 5.9 wins above replacement according to Baseball-Reference. He could not pitch another game this season and have the best season of any Phillie since Cole Hamels in 2014. If Nola makes 32 starts this year (which he should) he is on pace for 9.4 wins above replacement by the end of the season. The last Phillie to have that good of a season? Steve Carlton in 1980.

Nola was an easy selection for the All-Star Game and could very well win the actual Cy Young award this year with the kind of season he is having.

Runners-up: Zach Eflin, Seranthony Dominguez

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