Zack Wheeler in Close Race for NL Cy Young, Challenging Paul Skenes

Zack Wheeler is a top candidate for the NL Cy Young Award, in a tight competition with Paul Skenes. Wheeler, at 35, is seeking his first career Cy Young, presenting a compelling case with a 2.36 ERA (6th in NL), .181 opponent batting average (1st), and 0.86 WHIP (2nd). He also leads Skenes in strikeouts (154) and wins (9), demonstrating remarkable consistency. While wins and losses have historically been a factor, his overall elite performance keeps him firmly in contention, though analysts acknowledge Skenes's strong underlying metrics.