The Philadelphia Phillies have a starting pitcher that scouts are buzzing about during spring training.
No, it’s not Zack Wheeler, who just signed a record-breaking extension with the Phillies.
No, it’s not Aaron Nola, who signed a seven-year deal that will take care of him for the rest of his life.
It’s a starter that, up until last season, had control issues as he tried to break into a full-time role as a starter — Cristopher Sánchez.
ESPN recently wrote an article about 10 young players that are getting buzz among scouts as spring training continues in Arizona and Florida.
Sánchez, who is 27, fits the bill.
He broke in with the Phillies in 2021 and pitched in seven games, with one start, and went 1-0 with a 4.97 ERA. In 2022, he got more work, as he threw in 15 games, with three of them starts, as he went 2-2 with a 5.63 ERA.
The problem was pretty simple — walks.
In his 12.2 innings in 2021 Sánchez had a walk rate of 5.0 per nine innings. It didn’t help that he gave up 11.4 hits per nine innings.
Then, in 2022, he improved in 40 innings of work. The walk rate dropped to 3.8 and the hit rate dropped to 8.6.
Something changed in 2023. Sanchez threw a career-high 99.1 innings in 19 games, 18 of which were starts. His record wasn’t great — he went just 3-5. But he posted a career-best 3.44 ERA.
Plus, his walk rate shrank, and that’s what scouts are keenly interested in entering 2024. Sánchez had a walk rate of 1.4 per nine innings, while his hit rate remained basically the same at 8.0 per nine innings.
In fact, he walked just 16 hitters in 18 starts he also had a surprise for the Phillies when he arrive in spring training — a little more velocity, per ESPN:
He showed up this spring with two extra ticks on a fastball that's now sitting at 94 mph, and he has added a cutter to his top-of-the-line changeup and effective sinker.
Also, Sánchez is a great ground ball pitcher, as he posted a 57% rate last season, which was fourth-best among all pitchers with 90 or more innings pitched.
If he can keep that up and complement Wheeler and Nola, the Phillies should be contenders in the National League again.
More must-reads: