Philly Leader

PHILADELPHIA -- The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) has announced the finalists for the 2024 National League Cy Young Award. Among them is Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler, known for his significant workload over the past five seasons. Only Aaron Nola has pitched more innings than Wheeler's 829 1/3 during this period.

Wheeler joins Atlanta's Chris Sale and Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes as contenders for the prestigious award. The winners will be revealed on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET on November 20.

While Sale is considered a strong candidate, Wheeler made a notable impact in the season's final weeks. He completed the season with a record of 16-7, pitching 200 innings with a 2.57 ERA, 224 strikeouts, and a WAR of 6.1 according to Baseball Reference. Wheeler led National League pitchers in several categories including WHIP (0.955), opponents’ batting average (.192), and quality starts (26).

Despite facing more batters and pitching more innings than Sale, who was limited by injury to 177 2/3 innings, Wheeler remains a formidable contender. Bryce Harper expressed strong support for Wheeler, stating in September, “He’s a Cy Young, man... I believe he earned it this year.”

Wheeler previously finished second to Corbin Burnes in the close race for the 2021 NL Cy Young Award despite pitching significantly more innings than Burnes.

The upcoming vote may consider how closely matched Wheeler and Sale were throughout the season and take into account Wheeler's performance down the stretch.