Inside The Phillies

Phillies All-Star Pitcher Surprisingly Appears Underrated to Begin Campaign

This Philadelphia Phillies starter is a trendy pick to be one of the game's most underrated pitchers this season.

Nick Ziegler

Mar 18, 2025; Bradenton, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Christopher Sanchez (61) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training at LECOM Park.
Mar 18, 2025; Bradenton, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Christopher Sanchez (61) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training at LECOM Park. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
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The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a strong start this season, and they will be looking to keep the momentum going. 

Over the last several years, there have been few teams better than the Phillies. Philadelphia has been able to make it to three straight postseasons, which included one trip to the World Series and one trip to the National League Division Series. 

However, despite a plethora of success, the team suffered an early elimination due to their expectations in 2024. 

Now, the Phillies focused this winter on improving their already talented team. With a trade to acquire Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins, the franchise was able to create one of the best rotations in the league. 

With talent and depth from top to bottom, Philadelphia hopes that their rotation will lead them through the regular season and be able to go toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the National League come playoff time. 

While there is a lot of talent, they do have one All-Star who is seemingly on the precipice of being an ace. 

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com (subscription required) recently spoke about Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez being a bit underrated in their recent Top 100 player rankings coming into the year. 

“Bryce Miller and Cristopher Sanchez are popular breakout picks because they combine a solid base of performance and some improved traits that seem to have them on the verge of consensus frontline starter status," he wrote.

The All-Star left-hander was ranked 79th on the list, which, for a player who arguably had his breakout campaign in 2024, felt a little bit low. 

Last year, the southpaw totaled a 11-9 record and 3.42 ERA. It was certainly the best season of his career, and the future is bright for the 28-year-old. 

This winter, Sanchez clearly worked hard on improving, and he’s got a little more juice on his pitches. Even though he was great for Philadelphia last year, he only struck out 7.6 batters per nine innings. 

So far, in his one start this year, he was able to strikeout seven batters in 5.1 innings of work. 

This could be key for the All-Star to take his game to the next level. 

As 2025 continues on, Sanchez has the potential to be a front-end starter for the Phillies. While Zack Wheeler will surely be the ace, the southpaw is trending up and could challenge Aaron Nola for the number two spot in the rotation. 

Coming in ranked 79th certainly feels a bit low, but with just one great season under his belt, Sanchez will be aiming to prove that 2024 was no fluke. 

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Nick Ziegler
NICK ZIEGLER

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