Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, Cristopher Sánchez, Rob Thomson named finalists for NL awards
Sánchez is an NL Cy Young finalist along with Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes and Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Schwarber is up for NL MVP against the Mets' Juan Soto and Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani.
In June 2023, with the Phillies’ rotation stretched thin, Cristopher Sánchez was called up from triple A as a fallback option to take a turn in the No. 5 spot.
Now, he’s a Cy Young finalist.
The finalists for the end-of-season awards from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America were announced Monday night, and three Phillies made the cut. Sánchez was a finalist for the National League Cy Young Award, Kyle Schwarber was named a finalist for NL Most Valuable Player, and manager Rob Thomson was an NL Manager of the Year finalist.
Sánchez has completely transformed since 2023, and has turned his changeup into one of the most elite pitches in the game. He stepped into the role of ace of the Phillies rotation after the Zack Wheeler’s season ended in August.
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Sánchez finished the year with a 2.50 ERA over a career-high 202 innings. His 8.0 WAR — which attempts to calculate how many wins a player is worth to his team compared to a replacement-level player — is the highest among pitchers.
“He just continues to get more and more confident and believe in himself,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said of Sánchez’s growth before the playoffs. “His stuff has always been really good. But I think his command over the last couple of years has also gotten better, and that, in turn, has given him even more confidence.”
The other NL finalists are Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, who won Rookie of the Year last season, and Los Angeles Dodgers righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Skenes had the best ERA in baseball with 1.97 over 187⅔ innings.
Yamamoto just won the World Series MVP, but postseason performances are not factored into voting. In the regular season, he had a 2.49 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 173⅔ innings.
In the MVP race, Schwarber joins Mets outfielder Juan Soto and Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who is the reigning NL winner. Schwarber led the league in homers (56) and RBIs (132). Twenty-three of Schwarber’s home runs came against left-handed pitchers this year, setting a record for most in a season by a left-handed hitter. He was the Phillies’ lone representative at the 2025 All-Star Game this year after Wheeler withdrew.
Schwarber also became the 21st player in baseball history to hit four homers in one game on Aug. 28 against the Braves.
“Every single year, you try to find a way to keep getting better and to find a way to be productive for your team,” Schwarber said after he hit his 50th home run of the season. “And I don’t know what to say about ‘Why have you hit so many homers?’ whatever it is. It’s just the way it happens. And like I’ve always said, it’s not like I’m going up there trying to do that. It just finds its way.”
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Ohtani won the award unanimously last season as a designated hitter after becoming the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season. Now, he has added pitching back to his resumé, posting a 2.87 ERA to go with his 55 homers and 1.014 OPS. Soto finished his first season as a Met with 43 homers, 38 stolen bases, and a .396 on-base percentage.
Joining Thomson in the Manager of the Year category are the Milwaukee Brewers’ Pat Murphy, the reigning winner, and the Cincinnati Reds’ Terry Francona.
Rounding out the NL slate, the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year finalists are Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin, and Cubs right-handed pitcher Cade Horton.
The Rookie of the Year winners from each league will be announced on Nov. 10, Manager of the Year on Nov. 11, Cy Young on Nov. 12, and MVP on Nov. 13.