On November 3, the BBWAA announced the three finalists for the 2026 National League Cy Young Award: Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), Chris Sale (Braves) and Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies). Three very different profiles, one ballot: a 23-year-old who exploded in his first full season, a veteran who reminded everyone why he was once one of the game’s most dominant starters, and a Dominican right-hander who posted a 2.91 ERA over 207 innings with the best walk rate in the league. The winner will be announced in the coming days.
Three Profiles, One Ballot
Jacob Misiorowski is 23 years old and his last name already gives broadcasters trouble — his numbers don’t. The Milwaukee right-hander was one of the biggest breakout stories in the NL this season.
Chris Sale is the other end of the spectrum: the Atlanta lefty has spent years fighting through injuries, and in 2026 he reminded the league exactly why he was once considered one of its most dangerous arms.
And then there’s Cristopher Sánchez. The Dominican Phillies starter doesn’t have Misiorowski’s raw stuff or Sale’s résumé, but he has something neither of them can claim: the sharpest command in the entire league. Just 45 walks in 207 innings — 95th percentile in BB% — Sánchez is the kind of pitcher who doesn’t give you anything for free. Every at-bat gets won in the zone.
Why Sánchez Is the Most Interesting Case of the Three
Sánchez’s Statcast profile is unusual — not in a bad way, more of a how does he actually do this kind of way. His fastball averages 95.1 mph but carries one of the lowest spin rates in the league (15th percentile). On paper, that combination shouldn’t work. On the mound, it produced 231 strikeouts during the regular season.
The secret isn’t velocity or spin — it’s movement and command. According to Statcast, hitters facing Sánchez average just 89.4 mph exit velocity, meaning they’re making soft contact even when they connect. And when they chase outside the zone, they miss 95% of the time: his Chase% sits at the 95th percentile league-wide.
An 18-7 record with a 2.91 ERA across 33 starts speaks for itself. But what really rounds out his case is that he built it without a single conventional Cy Young weapon — no electric heater, no highlight-reel slider, no spin rate that scares anyone on a spreadsheet. Sánchez constructed it pitch by pitch, ground ball by ground ball, walk by walk that he simply never issued.
Sánchez by the Numbers (2026 Statcast)
- Starts / Innings: 33 GS, 207.0 IP
- Record: 18-7
- ERA: 2.91 · WHIP: 1.20
- Strikeouts / Walks: 231 K, 45 BB (27% K rate)
- xERA: 3.39
- Fastball: 95.1 mph avg, 2,125 rpm spin rate
- Whiff rate: 31.3%
- Batting average against: .255
- Exit velocity allowed: 89.4 mph
- Barrel rate allowed: 7.5%
How He Ranks League-Wide
- xERA: 78th percentile
- K%: 81st percentile
- BB% (command): 95th percentile — elite
- Whiff%: 89th percentile
- Fastball spin rate: 15th percentile (one of the lowest in MLB)
- xwOBA against: 78th percentile
The Dominican from Philadelphia is showing up all over Statcast’s leaderboards — and when the numbers do the talking, opinions become irrelevant.
