I’m not going to be a prisoner of the moment and say that Sandy Alcantara is emerging as the best Marlins pitcher ever. But I don’t think that there’s a comparison to anybody in the franchise’s history that would do justice to what we’ve been witnessing lately.
Alcantara has shared characteristics with José Fernández, Josh Johnson, Kevin Brown and Dontrelle Willis, depending on what element of his game you focus on. Still, there is a different aesthetic to the Dominican right-hander’s 2022 campaign. The way in which he is distinguishing himself from his peers is special, and it’s paving the road for him to accomplish something that no other Marlin previously has: win the National League Cy Young award.