Phillies' Zack Wheeler Predicted to Win Cy Young Over Paul Skenes

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 5:00 PM ET

It looks like the National League Cy Young race is down to two horses: the Philadelphia Phillies’ Zack Wheeler and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes.

Two-time All-Star pitcher Ryan Dempster took to “International Talk” to argue why he thinks Wheeler can win:

“I’m gonna say Zack Wheeler. This is his year… All of a sudden, he is having his best season in the Major Leagues. This dude is absolutely filthy. He is carving. He’s shoving day in and day out.

“I think at the end of it all, he’s going to have more innings pitched, he’s going to have more wins, he’s going to have the same ERA, and he’s going to lead his team to a postseason berth and possibly a trip to the World Series.”

Wheeler has been phenomenal this season, going 9-3 with a 2.39 ERA, a 2.68 FIP, and an NL-leading 164 strikeouts to 26 walks over 20 starts and 128 innings. He also has one complete game on the year.

Wheeler, 35, is no stranger to contested Cy Young races, as he has 12th (2020), 2nd (2021), 6th (2023), and 2nd (2024) place finishes over his career. The writers love a good story as much as a dominant season, and Wheeler finally breaking through for this award would satisfy those headlines.

Skenes, meanwhile, continues his historic trajectory, despite the Pirates’ on-field struggles, and is the most formidable challenger to Wheeler. Skenes leads the Majors with a 1.91 ERA and the NL with a 2.40 FIP. He also has 137 strikeouts to 31 walks over 127 innings, but could face problems with that pesky 5-8 record.

Win-loss records do not mean as much as they once did, and while Skenes will not lose the race because of it, it could be a deciding factor in what should be a neck-and-neck battle.

One element working against Wheeler is the postseason. The Phillies’ success should help his case, but they may also be inclined to limit Wheeler’s workload down the stretch to preserve their ace for October.

Skenes and Pittsburgh are not playing for much, and could more heavily prioritize the Cy Young.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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