"Zack Wheeler is the best; Emmanuel Clase has been spectacular" - Ex-Phillies GM snubs favorites Chris Sale, Tarik Skubal with his Cy Young picks
This year's Cy Young Award race in both leagues might come down to the wire. While some of the award winners in other categories may already be determined, when it comes to deciding which pitcher has been the best, it may be a bit more difficult.
It's been a tremendously entertaining season on the pitcher's mound with a number of different narratives coming into play. From bounceback veterans such as Chris Sale to breakout stars, voting for the 2024 Cy Young Awards would be fascinating.
In an episode of The Phillies Show, former Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. gave his take on which pitcher in each league should walk away with the awards. In the National League, Amaro Jr., while admitting that he is a bit biased, leaned toward his former club's ace Zack Wheeler.
"I'm going to go with Zack Wheeler. What can you say about this guy other than he is the best pitcher in baseball. That's it for me as far as starting pitching is concerned (13:01)," Amaro Jr. said of the Phillies starter.
When it comes to the American League, many believe that Tarik Skubal has done more than enough to secure his first Cy Young Award. However, the former Phillies GM has other thoughts.
Instead of the betting favorite, the former executive believes that Cleveland Guardians' closer Emmanuel Clase is worthy of the award.
"We can talk about the guy Clase over there, the closer with the Cleveland Guardians. He's been spectacular and should win the AL Cy Young I think (13:11)," Amaro Jr. added.
While Emmanuel Clase has put together an incredible season for Cleveland, it is rare that a relief pitcher earns the award. The last time that a reliever won the Cy Young Award was back in 2003, when Eric Gagne received the pitching top prize while being with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Neither Zack Wheeler nor Emmanuel Clase are the current betting favorites for the Cy Young Award
Although Ruben Amaro Jr. believes that both Wheeler and Clase should be their league's respective Cy Young winners, neither player is the betting favorite.
Across a number of different gambling sites, both Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal are the frontrunners to claim the award, in the NL and AL, respectively.
Even if Zack Wheeler or Emmanuel Clase don't walk away with the award, it does not diminish their tremendous performances on the mound. Either way, both players will not finish the season empty-handed as they were named to the 2024 All-Star team.