Cristopher Sánchez may not have the flashiest Cy Young résumé in the National League, but ESPN’s latest awards model says he’s the pitcher to beat.
In the newest edition of ESPN’s AXE rankings, Sánchez checked in at 154.1, ahead of Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, who sits at 150.5. Philadelphia Phillies teammate Jesús Luzardo landed third at 140.7, with Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns and Chris Sale rounding out the group behind him. That leaves Sánchez as the statistical leader in a race that has been packed with bigger headlines and louder numbers.
“The consensus narrative seems to have turned against Sánchez, who has been at or near the top of the AXE leaderboard all season,” ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle wrote in the latest MLB Awards Watch.
The betting markets have leaned more heavily toward Misiorowski and Sale, but Sánchez’s case has been built on something different: steady production, innings, and wins. The Phillies left-hander doesn’t have the most eye-popping surface stats in the field, yet his season has been hard to push aside.
Misiorowski brings the jaw-dropping stuff. He owns a 1.68 ERA and has struck out 39 percent of the batters he has faced. His average game score of 68.2 leads the National League by a wide margin.
Sánchez has taken another route. He keeps going deeper into games, cuts down on damaging contact and gives Philadelphia a chance to win almost every time out. After a rough start against the Kansas City Royals before the All-Star break, he responded by winning seven of his next eight starts with a 2.18 ERA.
That stretch continued Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals, when Sánchez entered the game with 16 victories.
He went 6 2/3 innings, struck out seven and did not issue a walk, though he allowed four runs on nine hits and settled for a no-decision. The Phillies still pulled out a dramatic 6-4 win on Kyle Schwarber’s 459-foot walk-off home run in the ninth inning.
It wasn’t Sánchez at his sharpest, but it reinforced the same point his season has made all along: he takes the ball, he works, and he puts himself in position to stack up wins. No National League pitcher has a clearer path to 20 victories.
The wrinkle for Sánchez is the company around him. Philadelphia’s rotation has been so strong that it could split the vote. Luzardo is third in ESPN’s model, Wheeler is seventh, and the Phillies are the only team with three starters inside the top seven.
That kind of depth is a dream for the Phillies’ bigger goals, but it can complicate the awards conversation. Misiorowski has the dominance case.
Sale has surged as one of baseball’s hottest pitchers in the second half. Sánchez has the full package ESPN’s system seems to like best: volume, run prevention and wins.
The betting markets may still favor the flashier names, but ESPN’s numbers say Sánchez is the one sitting on top. With five weeks left, the assignment is simple - keep taking the mound, keep going deep, and keep collecting wins for a Phillies team chasing Atlanta in the NL East.
In Other News...
Phillies May Have A New Opening In Their Biggest October Rivalry
Andy Pages left hand fracture is another unwelcome development for a Dodgers club already juggling a long injury list as the calendar turns toward the stretch run. Los Angeles has been hit in all the places a contender can least afford, from the catcher spot to the pitching staff, yet it still sits in a strong position and remains the team to beat in the National League West.
For the Phillies, the immediate significance is less about the standings and more about the kind of October matchup they may be headed toward. The Dodgers can survive a lot during the regular season, but this latest setback adds to the sense that their roster depth is going to be tested again, and Philadelphia will be watching closely to see whether the ripple effects show up when the games matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Have A Real Shot At A Huge October Edge
A National League Wild Card race that looked settled not long ago has tightened again, and the Phillies are suddenly right in the middle of it. Chicago dropped the first two games of its series against Seattle, while Philadelphia keeps stacking wins and has now strung together nine straight, the kind of surge that can change the tone of an October chase in a hurry.
Philadelphias latest push has been fueled by a sweep of St. Louis, with Kyle Schwarber providing more of the same power in the process. The Cubs still sit atop the Wild Card picture for now, but the margin is getting slimmer by the day, and the Phillies have done enough to turn a distant pursuit into a real threat with plenty of season left to sort it out. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Got Another Reminder The Phillies Are Heating Up
The Phillies have spent much of the second half looking like a club that finally settled in after an early stumble, and the surge has put real pressure back on the division race. Since the managerial switch from Rob Thomson to interim manager Don Mattingly, Philadelphia has gone 64-39 and trimmed the gap in the standings, turning a rocky opening into a stretch that has kept them squarely in the picture.
A pair of straight sweeps of the Marlins and Cardinals only added to the sense that the Phillies are playing their best baseball at the right time, and Bleacher Reports No. 5 ranking reflects that momentum. For the Braves, the larger issue is not just the number beside Philadelphias name, but the way the Phillies keep answering every chance to cool off and instead seem to be building more confidence as the race tightens. [Read more 🡒]