It wasn't a question of whether Sandy Alcantara would win the Cy Young Award, it was a question of whether he would become the first unanimous winner of the National League in four years.
The first Cy Young winner in Miami history was swept all 30 first place votes by the right-handed pitcher.
In this age of five-inning starters, Alcantara stood out as the most complete pitcher in the majors since David Price threw more than 200 strikeouts in 2016 More than any other team, he threw complete games.
When he won the Players Choice Award as the outstanding NL pitcher, he said in a video that he was happy with the season he had. My mentality is to be a lion on the mound, finish all my starts.
In addition to his two 7.2-inning outings, he had 16 starts of more than seven years old. Both Fried and Urias only had two seven-inning outings. It wasn't just his ability that made him the winner. His 2.28 earned run average was second in the NL and he held hitters to a.212 average.
"He's throwing over 100 miles per hour and he's got movement on his pitch," Goldschmidt said.
His game plan is a little different from a lot of modern pitchers, as evidenced by the fact that he averaged just under 98 mph with his pitch. He avoids the high pitch counts that come from a lot of deep counts by inducing a lot of soft contact. He went deep into games with an average of 14.2 pitches per game. He struck out a season-high 14 in an eight-inning win over the Braves. Then-Marlins manager Don Mattingly said that Sandy looked like a pitch and catch.
| Pitcher, Team | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Alcantara, Marlins | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 210 |
| Max Fried, Braves | -- | 10 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 72 |
| Julio Urias, Dodgers | -- | 7 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 66 |
| Aaron Nola, Phillies | -- | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 48 |
| Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks | -- | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 45 |
| Carlos Rodon, Giants | -- | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 30 |
| -- Baseball Writers' Association of America |
After Marcell Ozuna was traded to St. Louis, the Marlins acquired Arismendy Alcantara from the Cards. He made the All-Star team in his first full season in the majors, when he finished with a 3.88 earned run average, and then went 9-15 with a 3.19 earned run average the next year.
He improved his changeup this season, as batters hit just.145 against it with no home runs. It was a power change that averaged 92 mph. His changeup saved 25 runs, which was the most valuable changeup of the year.
The highlight of Alcantara's season may have been his 4-3 victory over the Cards on June 29th. With runners at first and second and one out in the ninth, Mattingly came out to apparently remove him from the game. After talking himself into staying in, he threw two pitches to end it.
I told him I had it when he came to me. I've gotten it. He has too much faith in me to finish the game. I don't have to worry about it. I know I can hit a home run and get a double play.
Mattingly said that he had it and that he did. I gave him one of the two hitters I promised him. He is very special.
The extension he was given by the Marlins last November looks like a good deal. The Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies are the only teams with no Cy Young winners.
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