From Cy Young to Struggling Starter: What's Behind Alcantara's Decline?

Just two seasons ago, Sandy Alcantara stood atop the baseball world. His electric stuff, workhorse mentality, and dominant command earned him the 2022 National League Cy Young Award. Fast forward to 2025, and Alcantara is wrestling with a start to the season that feels more like a nightmare than a continuation of excellence.

Monday night's 7-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers was the latest entry in a disturbing trend. Alcantara lasted just five innings, surrendering five earned runs on six hits, including home runs to Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. His record dropped to 2-4, and more alarmingly, his ERA ballooned to 8.42. This marks the first time in Sandy Alcantara's career that he has dropped four consecutive starts.

"Yeah, today was way better," Sandy Alcantara said about his second outing versus the Dodgers this season. "If I take those two pitches out from (being) over the middle (of the plate), then I think it would have been better. (I was) more aggressive in the zone, trying to not let them get too many chances. If I take those two pitches out of there, those two homers, it would be a better result." (Fish on First/Kevin Barral).

So, what's going wrong?

For starters, Alcantara's signature command appears to be inconsistent. Against the Dodgers, he fell behind early, forcing him to throw more hittable pitches during pressure situations. His sinker, once a devastating weapon, lacked movement and was crushed when left over the heart of the plate. Ohtani's homer came off a 97-mph heater that caught too much zone, and Freeman jumped on a center-cut four-seamer to notch his 350th career blast.

Beyond location, pitch sequencing has also been an issue for Alcántara. His changeup and slider aren’t generating the same swing-and-miss rates they once did, allowing hitters to sit on the fastball and adjust to off-speed pitches. The Dodgers, who have now beaten the Marlins in all four matchups this season, took a patient approach and punished mistakes left over the heart of the plate.

There’s also the mental toll. As the ace of a struggling team, Alcántara faces pressure every fifth day to be the best starter in the rotation. Adding to the challenge, he’s still adjusting to the demands of competitive pitching after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023.

It’s far too early to write off the 289-year-old right-hander—the tools are still there. But if the Marlins hope to climb out of the NL East vault, they’ll need their ace to start looking like one again—and soon.