Alcantara was nearly untouchable in 2022. Across 228.2 innings the Marlins ace racked up 207 strikeouts, a 0.980 WHIP, and a 2.28 ERA. An absolutely lethal year from start to finish propelled him to the top of the Cy Young voting, sweeping every first-place vote available.

Now you would think with a performance like this, you would instantly be regarded as one of the top arms in baseball. However, for Sandy, that’s not the case. Alcantara is continually overlooked as one of the most dominant arms in baseball. If it’s preseason rankings or Cy Young predictions, or something as minor as video game rankings, where MLB the Show has Alcantara as the 16th best pitcher in the league. . . yes, you read that right. . . 16th.

However, time and time again Sandy Alcantara proves that he is not only an elite starting pitcher, but the best in the league. While he doesn’t get the spotlight of being on a big market team, he deserves recognition for what he delivers every single start. And it didn’t take long for Alcantara to get the ball rolling in 2023, as he’s once again off to a dominant start. After a few hiccups against the Mets in his first start of the year, giving up three runs on three hits over 5.2 innings, Sandy was outright filthy against the Twins Tuesday night. Blanking the then-undefeated Twins over 9 innings and tallying up 5 strikeouts, made it clear that Alcantara is looking to repeat his 2022 performance.

Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a long season, but for Sandy Alcantara, he sure is off to another hot start.

Will Sandy Alcantara win back to back Cy Youngs? Let us know at Twitter @WeLikeSportzPC.

-Riley Bry

@RileyBry_

*Photo courtesy of Forbes*