Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara was voted the winner of the 2022 Players Choice National League Outstanding Pitcher Award over Los Angeles Dodgers’ Julio Urías and Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Since 1992, the annual Players Choice Awards have recognized the outstanding on- and off-field performances. Voting among all players was conducted in late September.
Urías went 17-7 with an NL-best 2.16 ERA, 3.71 FIP and 0.96 WHIP across 175 innings pitched in 31 starts this season. With Walker Buehler falling short of expectations before undergoing a right flexor tendon repair and second Tommy John surgery, and Clayton Kershaw nearing the end of his career, Urías emerged as the Dodgers’ ace.
That culminated with starting against the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. It marked the first time in Urías’ career he started the Dodgers’ first playoff game or a series opener.
Although Urías put together arguably the best season of his career, which came the year after being the sport’s only 20-game winner, Alcántara was dominant in his own right.
The right-hander finished with an MLB-best six complete games en route to going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA. Alcántara logged at least eight innings in 14 of 32 starts, which is the most by any pitcher since Chris Sale did so in 13 outings during the 2016 season.
Alcántara is the presumed frontrunner for the 2022 NL Cy Young Award, of which Urías should at minimum be a finalist for as well.
Gallen was 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA and NL-leading 0.91 WHIP over 31 starts this season.
Trevor Bauer (2020) was last to win both the Outstanding Pitcher Award from the MLBPA and Cy Young in the same season. That was part of a four-year streak that saw the same pitcher win both awards.
Last year the Outstanding Pitcher Award went to Max Scherzer, while Corbin Burnes won the Cy Young.
Will Julio Urías win the Cy Young Award?
During the season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Freddie Freeman both vocalized their support for Urías being under consideration for the Cy Young Award.
“Last year, I thought he was slighted as far as not being part of the conversation,” Roberts said in September. “This year, he’s back with another really good year. With all the numbers guys look at, with what he’s done this season, it’s worthy of the conversation. No doubt about it.
“I think Julio has been throwing the baseball as well as anybody in baseball since the (All-Star) break. Or even before the break, actually. I certainly don’t have a vote, but it’s hard to ignore what this guy does for a championship-caliber ballclub.
“He wasn’t an All-Star this year for some ridiculous reason, so to be able to be in that Cy Young conversation, I think that’s the floor.”
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