As the Philadelphia Phillies aim for their fourth consecutive playoff appearance, a feat that would mark the second-longest such streak in franchise history, several of the team’s established stars continue to perform at a high level. While players like Zack Wheeler, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner are familiar names in this context, Cristopher Sánchez has emerged as an unexpected standout in the Phillies’ rotation over the past two seasons.
Sánchez was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Curtis Mead in November 2019. At the time of his arrival, he had not appeared on any top 100 prospect lists and debuted with Philadelphia in 2021 during his age-24 season. In his first two years, Sánchez posted a 5.47 ERA over 52 1/3 innings primarily out of the bullpen.
A strong performance in 2023 saw Sánchez record a 3.44 ERA and accumulate 1.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) according to FanGraphs across 99 1/3 innings. He improved further in 2024 with a 3.32 ERA and 4.7 WAR over 31 starts, earning his first All-Star selection and finishing tenth in National League Cy Young Award voting.
This season, Sánchez has continued to improve, posting a 2.55 ERA and accumulating 3.5 WAR while maintaining underlying metrics that support his results as legitimate for a pitcher of his caliber at age 28. His performance places him among contenders for the Cy Young Award alongside teammate Wheeler and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I’d love that,” Sánchez said about being in the Cy Young mix after throwing a complete game with twelve strikeouts against Boston on July 22. “It’s a dream for me.”
When he made his debut, there were questions about what role Sánchez would play on the team due to concerns about control despite possessing quality pitches suitable for starting games—an assessment echoed by MLB Pipeline’s prospect report from 2022.
Sánchez’s progress is evident this year as he increased his strikeout rate from previous seasons to reach one of the top marks among qualified starters: punching out opponents at a rate of approximately twenty-six percent—a notable jump from earlier years.
His whiff rate has risen significantly (from just above twenty-four percent last year to thirty percent), ranking among leaders for improvement among qualifying starters. His fastball velocity also increased by nearly one mile per hour compared to last season (now averaging over ninety-five mph), contributing to better overall effectiveness measured by Stuff+ (a metric evaluating pitch characteristics).
“Last year, I pitched one hundred eighty innings, the most in my career,” Sánchez said through an interpreter during Spring Training. “So I just wanted to make sure that my body was in good shape for this year, to get stronger and go through this year healthy without an injury.”
While his walk rate rose slightly—to just above six percent—it remains better than league average given improvements elsewhere.
The increase in fastball velocity has also benefited Sánchez’s changeup; he now throws it harder than before while generating more drop on the pitch compared to last season.
With exceptional command of his changeup at the bottom of the zone, Sánchez is doing things that few other pitchers are doing with an individual pitch.
Sánchez’s changeup ranks among all pitches in 2025
Strikeouts: 87 (third-most)
Whiffs: 177 (third-most)
Whiff rate: 46.8% (fourth-highest, min. 200 swings)
Run Value: +14 (t-11th-highest)
Sánchez’s changeup is truly one of the elite offerings in the sport — and for good measure, the lefty has also received excellent results on a slider he’s throwing sixteen percent of time; hitters have managed only a .197 batting average against it with frequent swings-and-misses.
Hitters struggle not only making contact but also producing power when they do connect against Sánchez—he limits hard-hit balls (“barrels”) effectively thanks partly to inducing ground balls at one of baseball’s highest rates among starters—nearly sixty percent—which trails only three other qualified pitchers so far this season.
Because of these strengths—including strikeout ability and ground-ball tendencies—opposing batters have produced an expected slugging percentage (.345) ranked eighth-best against any starter meeting qualification thresholds.
At six-foot-six with significant extension toward home plate upon delivery—measured near seven feet—Sánchez presents additional challenges for hitters trying to adjust timing or trajectory when facing him.
Last June saw both parties agree on terms keeping him under contract through at least twenty-twenty-eight—with club options available beyond that point—securing another core member within Philadelphia’s roster during its current competitive window.
Just two years ago it was unclear how much impact Sánchez would have at Major League level; now he stands as one of baseball’s top starting pitchers.
