With division and Wild Card races heating up, individual award races are also gaining steam. Some awards are already wrapped up while others won't be decided until the final the game of the 2022 regular season. The Miami Marlins are in the midst of an underwhelming season overall. But do the Marlins have a Cy Young winner in the form of Sandy Alcantara?

The flame-throwing right-hander has enjoyed a terrific campaign. It seemed as if Alcantara had the NL Cy Young race locked up just a few weeks ago. But a couple of difficult outings have allowed the likes of Max Fried and Julio Urias to climb back into the race. Nevertheless, here is a look at 2 reasons Sandy Alcantara will win the NL Cy Young award.

Throwback ace

Sandy Alcantara does more than simply dominate on the mound. There are a number of pitchers that can spin 5 innings of shutout baseball on a fairly consistent basis. But Alcantara has been a throwback ace of sorts for the Marlins.

Alcantara leads all of baseball with 196.2 innings pitched as of this story's publication. His ability to work deep into games is unparalleled in today's game. He routinely works into the 7th and even the 8th inning. Alcantara even said that he wouldn't mind throwing as many pitches as necessary to take care of business.

The fact that Alcantara only has a 2.43 ERA over that many innings is incredible. Often times, workhorses like Alcantara will have a 3-plus ERA at the very least since they face so many batters. In fact, Alcantara leads the league in batters faced. But his ERA is still in a good spot. Additionally, his WHIP is just over 1.

The Cy Young is an award designated for aces. It speaks to the best all-around pitcher and measures their value to the team. The Marlins have labored, but they would be far worse if Sandy Alcantara was not leading their pitching rotation.

Sandy Alcantara's Balance

Sandy Alcantara is one of the most balanced pitchers in baseball right now. There are some pitchers who thrive off of strikeouts but don't work deep into games as a result. Spencer Strider on the Braves is a good example of this.

There are others who pitch to contact and don't acquire many strikeouts.

Sandy Alcantara is one of the rare pitchers who does everything on the mound. As aforementioned, he certainly features the ability to work deep into games. But Alcantara does not trade innings for strikeouts. He is ranked 6th in the NL in strikeouts this season.

His 2.43 ERA is second only to Julio Urias, per MLB.com. Alcantara's s 1 shutout is tied for the NL lead. His 4 complete games leads all of baseball. Framber Valdez of the Astros has 3 and nobody else has more that 2 CGs. His WHIP is good for 6th in the NL as well.

It is difficult to think of an ace more effectively dominant than Sandy Alcantara at the moment. Jacob deGrom is obviously in the conversation. Max Fried and Julio Urias have been excellent NL pitchers as well. The American League has produced Cy Young candidates such as Justin Verlander, Shane McClanahan, and Dylan Cease. But Alcantara has a legitimate argument for best pitcher in baseball.

He does not receive nearly enough attention since he pitches for the lackluster Marlins. But that should change once he is voted as the 2022 NL Cy Young winner.