Dominant Pair of Phillies Pitchers Receive Votes In First NL Cy Young Poll

The Philadelphia Phillies had two pitchers receive votes in the first NL Cy Young poll of the year.

May 6, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have two pitchers receiving early season NL Cy Young buzz, one of which is someone that few expected heading into the year.

MLB.com recently released the first edition of their NL Cy Young poll of the year. Phillies hurlers Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo each received votes. They also each actually received at least one first-place vote, which is extra surprising.

There is a lot of ground to make up for either of them to be considered a favorite at this point, though. Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the clear front-runner, coming in with 22 first-place votes.

Still, being in the conversation through the first quarter of the season is impressive in itself.

Wheeler came in tied with Cincinnati Reds flamethrower Hunter Greene at fourth-place in the voting. The Philadelphia ace did have the second-most first-place votes, though, earning four.

The 34-year-old has become a constant in Cy Young conversations. He has been at least sixth in final voting in each of the last two years and was the runner-up last season.

It was his second time coming up just short, but finding elite consistency in the later part of his career is super impressive.

Some questioned the Phillies' decision to hand him a three-year, $126 million extension kicking in this year before last season, but it has looked like a smart move so far.

Through nine starts, he has a 2.95 ERA with a 0.914 WHIP and 11.5 K/9. He's struck out 74 while walking just 11 in an MLB-leading 58.0 innings of work.

He hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in his last five starts. If he can keep that up, he will continue to rise up the rankings.

Luzardo is the real shocking development here. He has put together a gem of a campaign so far, pitching much better than he ever has before.

There were hopes that the 27-year-old would be able to take his game up another notch in Philadelphia, but it has happened very quickly.

He has an ERA of 2.11 with a 1.213 WHIP and 9.8 K/9. His ERA+ is up to 198.

Both his stuff and his command have been immaculate this season. He forces a lot of whiffs and gets people to chase balls with his deadly slider.

Even if Luzardo doesn't keep this exact dominance up for the rest of the year, it's hard not to be excited about his contributions to the pitching staff.

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