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Inside The Phillies

Phillies Star Rightfully Atop Pecking Order for Cy Young Award

The National League Cy Young Award pecking order has a Philadelphia Phillies hurler atop it.
Kenneth Teape|
Jul 25, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; A detailed view of a Hall of Fame patch on a Philadelphia Phillies hat resting in the dugout during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Jul 25, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; A detailed view of a Hall of Fame patch on a Philadelphia Phillies hat resting in the dugout during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Phillies

The 2026 MLB regular season has been an up-and-down affair for the Philadelphia Phillies, but there have been a few players immune to the team’s struggles.

One of those players is starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez. Fans were excited to see what he had for an encore after making the National League All-Star team for the first time in 2024 and then finishing in second place in the NL Cy Young Award race in 2025.

How about a second All-Star nomination and possibly finishing in first place in the Cy Young Award ballot this time? Sanchez is putting together an incredible campaign thus far and is currently the leader in the clubhouse for the award.

Over at ESPN, an update was done recently on how the award races are shaping up near the end of May. This year, the NL Cy Young Award looks like it could be the toughest race in recent history with so many pitchers performing at a high level.

Cristopher Sanchez atop NL Cy Young leaderboard

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs.
Apr 23, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Right now, based on AXE, it is Sanchez who holds the No. 1 spot with a 149.9. He has a decent-sized lead over Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, who has a 139.9 AXE. Chase Burns of the Cincinnati Reds and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers are the other two players with an AXE of at least 130, coming in at 135.7 and 134, respectively.

Sanchez’s overall AXE is 140.1, which is third in baseball behind only Ohtani and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals. Philadelphia’s ace ranked 33rd with an AXE of 119.8 entering the month, but has caught fire over the last few weeks.

The Phillies star has catapulted to the top of the leaderboard thanks to an incredibly impressive May. He has made four starts thus far and has a 3-0 record, not allowing a single run through 32 innings pitched with 36 strikeouts and only three walks.

Heading into his final start of the month against the San Diego Padres, Sanchez will be looking to break the franchise record for scoreless innings in a row. He currently is at 37.2 innings, trailing only Grover Alexander, who threw 41 consecutive scoreless innings in 1911.

Accomplishing that feat against the Padres would likely sew up the NL Pitcher of the Month Award and secure his spot atop the Cy Young leaderboard heading into June.

Entering his start on May 27, Sanchez leads the MLB with a 3.7 bWAR, one complete game and one shutout. His 1.62 ERA is the best in the NL, along with his 264 ERA+ and 0.4 HR/9.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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