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So Zack Wheeler didn’t win the Cy Young award. So what? Finishing second is a big deal, one he should be proud of. He can’t help it if someone actually thought Julio Urias was a top five pitcher, or if Jacob deGrom should have gotten a vote when he only threw 92 innings on the season.
Now, the team’s major awards hope lies with Bryce Harper. So far, people have speculated that the presenters are hints as to who will win. Jack McDowell, former White Sox and Yankees pitcher, and Orel Hershiser, former Dodgers ace, were thought to be headed to presenting awards to the representatives of their former teams, but they made headfakes and gave them to Blue Jays and Brewers pitchers. That can’t bode well for Bryce.
On to the links.
Phillies links:
- It was close but no cigar for Wheeler. Here are the final vote totals.
- It’s a question that should have an obvious answer, but needs to be asked anyway: should the team be trading Jean Segura?
- Matt Gelb ($) gives us his take on what the Phillies should be doing this offseason. A good read.
MLB news:
- Justin Verlander became the latest pitcher to accept a much larger one year deal instead of taking a qualifying offer.
- Here are all the players that didn’t accept the qualifying offer and the one who did (Brandon Belt).
- Jim Bowden, Ralph himself, takes a gander at the free agent market and ranks all of the free agents ($).
- Seems that the Braves and Freddie Freeman are stuck discussing a sixth year on a contract. Braves - just do it.