The Sandy & Eury Show

Every baseball season has its breakout stories, but 2025 feels like the year of the Sandy & Eury Show. One is a former Cy Young winner looking for redemption after missing all of 2024. The other? A 6’8” flamethrower who flashed ace potential in 2023 before losing a year to injury. If you’re looking for pitchers ready to take over this season, start with Sandy Alcántara and Eury Pérez.  

Sandy Alcántara: The Bounce-Back King? 

Let’s rewind to 2022. Sandy wasn’t just great; he was a throwback. A 228.2-inning workhorse in an era where guys break 200 innings about as often as we get a good Fast & Furious sequel. A 2.28 ERA. A Cy Young trophy. Six complete games. It was peak Pedro, peak Halladay, peak “I don’t care about pitch counts, I’m finishing this game.”  

Then came 2023. Still solid (4.14 ERA, 184.2 IP), but not dominant. And then, disaster: Tommy John surgery. He missed all of 2024, and suddenly, the guy who felt inevitable was a question mark.  

So why buy in for 2025?  

– Tommy John bounce-backs are real. Justin Verlander had the surgery, came back at 39, and won a Cy Young. Shohei Ohtani had it, came back throwing 100 mph. Sandy isn’t just coming back—he’s coming back with time to refine his stuff.  

– The Marlins need him. Miami was a mess in 2024 (62-100, woof). If they’re turning this thing around, it starts with Sandy. And while we haven’t seen him in game action yet, reports suggest he’s on track to be ready for Opening Day.  

– Workhorse mentality. Some guys ease back into things. Sandy isn’t wired that way. Expect him to push 180-200 innings, even if Miami plays it “safe.”  

Best-case scenario? He’s 2022 Sandy again. Worst case? He’s still a top-tier innings eater, which is more than most teams have.  

Eury Pérez: The Next Great Ace?  

Now let’s talk about Eury Pérez, a 6’8” unicorn with a fastball that makes hitters rethink their career choices.  

His last time on an MLB mound was 2023, when, as a 20-year-old rookie, he looked like the real deal:  

– 91.1 IP, 3.15 ERA, 108 K, 10.7 K/9  

– Upper-90s fastball with ridiculous extension (he’s basically releasing the ball from the batter’s box).  

– A filthy slider and a changeup that’s already elite.  

– Insane poise for his age.  

The comps? They’re fun. Young Verlander. Early-career Gerrit Cole. Maybe even a little José Fernández (RIP).  

So what’s next? Well, it depends on how much Miami lets him cook. He missed all of 2024 with injuries, so they might cap him around 150-160 innings, but don’t be shocked if he pulls a 2018 Walker Buehler dominant stuff, a gradual innings bump, and by September, a full-blown ace.  

The Verdict: A Dangerous One-Two Punch  

Baseball is weird. Pitchers break. Prospects fizzle. But if everything clicks? Alcántara and Pérez could be baseball’s best one-two punch outside of Atlanta.  

The prediction:  

– Sandy Alcántara: 190 IP, 3.10 ERA, 180 K, top-5 Cy Young finish.  

– Eury Pérez: 160 IP, 3.30 ERA, 190 K, first All-Star nod.  

So yeah, the Marlins might not be playoff-ready yet, but they’re going to be a nightmare for opposing hitters. And in a year where pitching feels shakier than ever, that’s something worth watching.  

Buckle up. The Sandy & Eury Show is about to begin.