Wheeler vs. Skenes: Odds & Insights for NL Cy Young Race

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00:00When Paul Skeens, despite the lack of success in his overall win-loss record

00:04and the lack of success of the Pittsburgh Pirates,

00:07remained the favorite and an odds-on favorite to win NL Cy Young.

00:11We saw Zach Wheeler continuing to deal gem after gem in terms of his outings

00:17in his Philadelphia Phillies remain in first in the NL East.

00:22The price continued to drop on Wheeler.

00:24We asked, when might Wheeler become the favorite?

00:27Is this your time to buy in?

00:28We hope you did.

00:30Wheeler is the favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award at minus 125.

00:34But Skeens is not all that far behind now, D.R.S.

00:37Also, a slightly minus money number at minus 105.

00:42How do you evaluate the head-to-head between Wheeler and Skeens to win NL Cy Young?

00:47And maybe even the sentimental value because, again, humans are voting for this award.

00:51It's not a computer that's fed in statistics and spits out who the MVP is.

00:55The reason I say that is Zach Wheeler is one of the good guys in baseball.

00:58And he's a great baseball player.

00:59Zach Wheeler said multiple times, I want to win a championship, and I also want to win

01:03a Cy Young.

01:04But then has also said, I'm not even looking for a next contract.

01:07Like, in two years, it doesn't even matter how well I'm pitching.

01:09Like, I'm done and I'm out of the sport.

01:11So maybe people look at this and say, well, if it's one-on-one with Paul Skeens,

01:14Skeens has 15 more years to pitch.

01:16Wheeler's got one or two left to pitch here.

01:18Let's go ahead and give him that nod as truly being one of the best baseball pitchers or

01:22pitchers in baseball there are.

01:23And also, you're not just giving it away.

01:25Like, Wheeler's every bit as good as Skeens right now.

01:27But the questions are going to pop up here as well because we are handicappers and voters

01:31see the same things.

01:32A lot of the times, Ben, it's straight up on statistics.

01:35How many strikeouts and wins really aren't reflective, but they sort of add to the conversation.

01:40ERA, wins above replace.

01:41We get all of that stuff right, no matter what, that you take a look at from a pitcher to a

01:45hitter's perspective, but understand this, we don't have to question if Zach Wheeler is

01:50going to get shut down over the final two weeks of the season as the Phillies ramp up

01:53for a playoff run.

01:54The Pittsburgh Pirates will tell you that Paul Skeens is going to go all the way through,

01:57number one, because they're really selfish.

01:59And if maybe they can get more people in the ballpark on a Wednesday night in late September,

02:02they'll pitch Paul Skeens at that point, as opposed to saying, well, he only has so many

02:06bullets in his arm for his career.

02:07Why don't we just shut him down?

02:08Because our team absolutely stinks and it doesn't mean anything unless he gets the Cy Young and that's

02:13why we're letting him pitch, which is sort of interesting to say, well, we stink.

02:17We're not going to build around you, but go ahead, kid, blow out your arm trying to win

02:19a Cy Young award.

02:20It's sort of counterproductive at that point.

02:22So I do think that weighs in as well as why Zach Wheeler, along with the straw poll, straw

02:27poll from the, you know, I guess general managers or front office that said they'd give it to

02:30Zach Wheeler at this point.

02:31But that all goes into my thinking of why Wheeler is a favorite today and not just everything

02:36that has to deal with strikeouts, wins, and let's just say war.

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