Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara was voted the unanimous winner of the 2022 National League Cy Young Award, garnering all 30 first-place votes. Los Angeles Dodgers’ Julio Urías placed third, six points behind Atlanta Braves lefty Max Fried.
Urías garnered seven second-place votes and nine for third place, amounting to 66 points. Alcántara previously bested Urías and Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2022 Players Choice National League Outstanding Pitcher Award.
Coming off a season in which he was the only 20-game winner in baseball, Urías continued to impress in 2022 as he went 17-7 with a 2.16 ERA, 3.71 FIP and 0.96 WHIP over 31 starts. He led the NL in ERA and ERA+ (194) and emerged as an ace for the Dodgers while Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw dealt with injuries.
In addition, Urías had the lowest batting average against (.199) and WHIP among the NL Cy Young Award finalists. Alcántara wielded a .212 opponents’ batting average and 0.98 WHIP.
However, the right-hander had an MLB-best six complete games this past season en route to going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA. Alcántara additionally logged at least eight innings in 14 of 32 starts, which was the most by any pitcher since Chris Sale had 13 such outings during the 2016 season.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts nonetheless was hopeful Urías would win 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.”
Urías finished in seventh place for the 2021 NL Cy Young.
Julio Urías among Dodgers nominees for All-MLB Team
Although the 26-year-old has come up short to Alcántara for two awards this offseason, Urías is among the Dodgers players up for consideration to make the 2022 All-MLB Team.
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