Trio of Phillies starters leading Cy Young predictions
At what point do we start to consider the 2024 Phillies pitching staff as one of the best in franchise history?
The Phillies are the top team in the National League and have been dominating opposing teams all season. The starting rotation has a large part in that success.
You’re not going to find a much better starting five in baseball than the Phillies. The Yankees, Orioles and Dodgers all have great starting pitching to this point in the season, but the Phillies could be argued as the best among that group.
Trio of Phillies leading Cy Young predictions
With less than 100 games to go in the regular season, the Phillies have three pitchers in the NL Cy Young watch, according to ESPN.com's Cy Young Predictor formula.
The trio of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez have been nothing short of dominant when they take the mound. All three have a sub-3.00 ERA, and Suárez has the lowest ERA in all of Major League Baseball among qualified starters at 1.70. The trio also has a combined 24 wins and six losses.
Each pitcher, especially Wheeler and Nola, does have aspects of their game that they can improve on to separate themselves from the rest of the competition for the prestigious award.
Wheeler has administered 26 walks so far this season, and Nola has allowed 11 home runs as well as 22 walks. These numbers can be lowered and are areas that both players would like to work on.
It's not just the top three starters having success this season
Not only is this trio having tremendous success in 2024, but the Phillies are fortunate enough to have four starting pitchers among the best in the league.
Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez might not be getting the same recognition as the other three, but he’s right up there with them in terms of throwing the ball. The 27-year-old has a 2.71 ERA while allowing just one home run in 12 starts this season.
The way that the Phillies’ staff has been playing this year takes us back to the 102-win 2011 Phillies team with “The Four Aces” (subscription required) consisting of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt.
We are witnessing what might be one of the best pitching staffs in franchise history. It should be a fun race to see who comes out on top as the 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner.
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