National League Cy Young: Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins
Why is picking the favorite to win the National League Cy Young in 2023 a bold prediction? Because Sandy Alcantara won the award in 2022 and, in such a deep field, it is tough to repeat. If there is a pitcher with the ability to repeat as Cy Young winner, it is Alcantara.
First off, Alcantara is durable. He threw 228.2 innings in 2022, which led all of MLB. When most starting pitchers are looking to get through five innings these days, Alcantara averaged 7.13 innings pitched per start.
In 2022, Alcantara struck out 207 batters, walked 50, had a 2.28 ERA, and a 0.98 WHIP. Consistency is the name of the game for Sandy, and he takes care of business start after start. Like his American League counterpart Justin Verlander, Alcantara received all 30 first-place votes for Cy Young last season.
If I was going to have to choose one current starting pitcher to build a franchise around, it would be Sandy Alcantara. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound, 27-year-old righty from the Dominican Republic goes deep into games and dominates all along the way. Alcantara will repeat as the Cy Young winner in the National League in 2023.