The latest betting odds suggest the National League Cy Young chase has become a two-horse race, albeit with a sizable gap between them. Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes is the clear-cut favorite for the award, followed by Philadelphia Phillies ageless ace Zack Wheeler. However, the latter's teammate, Cristopher Sánchez, is the third pony hanging around at the stretch turn that could make things interesting.
Sánchez is arguably the most overlooked starter in baseball, punctuated by an egregious 2025 All-Star snub that enraged the Phillies' clubhouse. But the standout southpaw hasn't let the lack of recognition faze him, instead using it as motivation. He's been lights out since the festivities in Atlanta, which he wasn't a part of.
A late surge has Sánchez at least being mentioned in the Skenes-Wheeler Cy Young discussions. It's improbable, but surpassing them for the prestigious accolade would undoubtedly trump partaking in a glorified exhibition. Yet, coming out of nowhere to win this steeplechase would entrench him in the annals of MLB history.
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Cristopher Sánchez can make a mockery of All-Star snub with historic Cy Young win
22 players have missed the Midsummer Classic before claiming Cy Young honors later that year since the inaugural All-Star Game in 1933 (h/t MLB.com). Albeit rare, we've seen this happen twice in the past four campaigns: Two-time recipient of the trophy Blake Snell was the most recent to accomplish the feat in 2023 with the San Diego Padres, while lefty Robbie Ray did it as a member of the San Francisco Giants in 2021. So there's hope for Sánchez.
Despite being slighted by voters, Sánchez continues solidifying himself as one of the league's premier aces. He's gone 5-1 with a dazzling 1.53 ERA and 57 strikeouts across 59 innings of work since coming out of the break. The 28-year-old allowed one or fewer runs in all but one of his eight outings during that stretch.
Sportsbooks believe Sánchez isn't even the best Cy Young candidate on the Phillies, and it's not particularly close. Nonetheless, the numbers tell a different story, with his and Wheeler's stats being fairly even across the board. Moreover, the former is tied for the highest WAR amongst pitchers in the Majors this season (5.7).