The National League Cy Young race has been straight fire all season, with Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski battling it out against guys like Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, and Chris Sale. But here we are, just weeks away from the regular season wrapping up, and there *should* be a clear favorite, right? Well, apparently not for everyone. ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle’s advanced metric, AXE, somehow pegs Sanchez as the NL Cy Young favorite, not Misiorowski. It is a ridiculous call, especially when the Brewers’ ace has been the most deserving all year.
The AXE Metric Fails the Eye Test (and Its Creator)
Doolittle’s AXE metric puts Sanchez at the top with a 154.3 score, while Misiorowski trails right behind at 150.9. According to this stat-driven system, Sanchez should be hoisting that Cy Young trophy. But get this: even Doolittle himself is throwing shade at his own metric! He explicitly wrote that he favors Misiorowski for the award, despite what his numbers suggest. That’s how wild this snub is. When the guy who created the metric doesn’t even believe it over his own eyes, you know something is off. It’s a huge head-scratcher.
The Numbers Don’t Lie, Misiorowski Is Elite
Look, no one is saying Sanchez hasn’t been awesome. He’s got a 17-6 record, a 2.93 ERA, 7.4 bWAR, 215 strikeouts across 193.2 innings in 31 starts. Those are elite numbers, no doubt, and he absolutely deserves Cy Young votes. But let’s be real, folks. Misiorowski? He’s been flat out better. Way better. He might have a slightly lower bWAR at 6.0 and fewer starts at 28, but his 15-5 record, insane 1.89 ERA, and 243 strikeouts in just 166.1 innings are just dominant. Yeah, there is a pretty big difference in innings pitched, but Misiorowski’s significantly better production should easily clinch him this award over Sanchez. His performance has been too good to overlook.
It’s clear that Doolittle, despite his own metric, sees what we all see: Misiorowski has earned this. As the season winds down and votes start coming in for this end-of-season award, let’s hope the voters recognize the truly deserving pitcher.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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