Zack Wheeler in tough competition after being named NL Cy Young Award finalist

The Major League Baseball offseason is off to a slow start, at least from a free agency and trade perspective, but that’s to be expected. At least we have the annual run of individual awards to look forward to until the Philadelphia Phillies start putting their offseason plan into motion.

On Monday, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) released its lists of finalists for the four MLB awards it hands out every offseason — Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and MVP.

Zack Wheeler in tough competition after being named NL Cy Young Award finalist

Despite a disappointing end to their season, some Phillies had individual regular seasons that deserve recognition. One Phillies player who stood out from the pack all year long was staff ace Zack Wheeler. The veteran right-hander had yet another Cy Young-caliber season in 2024 and is one of the three finalists for the 2024 NL Cy Young Award.

Wheeler is in tough against Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale and rookie Paul Skenes from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the other two finalists for the esteemed award given to the top pitcher in the National League.

Wheeler has a strong case to win his first Cy Young after coming close in 2021 (when he should have won but finished as runner-up). However, Sale has appeared to be a step ahead of Wheeler at every turn and is everyone’s favorite to win — at least everyone outside Philadelphia. Sale already beat out Wheeler for the MLBPA’s NL Outstanding Pitcher Award and the Gold Glove Award, not that the latter has anything to do with pitching prowess.

Wheeler made 32 starts this season, posting a 16-7 record with a 2.57 ERA and 5.4 fWAR, both second to Sale among qualified NL pitchers. He had an NL-leading 0.96 WHIP in 200 innings pitched and led the league with 26 quality starts and a .191 batting average against.

Sale counters with an NL-best 18-3 record, 2.38 ERA, 11.40 K/9 and 6.4 fWAR. His 1.01 WHIP was second to Wheeler.

Skenes posted an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP for the Pirates but threw just 133 innings in 23 starts.

The Phillies have had four pitchers win seven Cy Young Awards in team history, the last coming in 2010 when the late Roy Halladay took home the award. Steve Bedrosian picked up the 1987 NL Cy Young Award after John Denny won it in 1983. Before that, the legendary Steve Carlton won it four times (1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982).

The 2024 Cy Young Award winners will be announced on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.

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