Phillies All-Star Pitcher Receives Incredibly Bold Prediction for Season

The Philadelphia Phillies hold an advantage over essentially all of their opponents on the mound entering every series.

Their starting pitching depth is matched by no one outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers and maybe the Seattle Mariners, and it's the biggest strength on the team.

Anchoring the staff is Zack Wheeler, the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award in 2024. Behind him is the ever-reliable Aaron Nola, the most durable player in the sport since 2018.

With Ranger Suarez on the injured list, Taijuan Walker has stepped back into a rotation spot and is performing at a high level, carrying over his spring training production into the regular season.

Winter trade acquisition Jesus Luzardo has been excellent in his first two starts. He is throwing the ball as efficiently as he did during the best stretch of his career in 2022 and 2023, while the coaching staff has helped take his repertoire to the next level.

Last but not least is Cristopher Sanchez, who was an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2024.

He has improved each year since the Phillies converted him into a full-time starting pitcher. Pinpoint control and limiting damaging contact are the name of his game, which led him to finish 10th in the NL Cy Young Award voting and make the trip to the Midsummer Classic.

Looking to take his game to the next level, he worked diligently in the offseason to hone his craft. He added velocity and is now showcasing the same elite accuracy but with more devastating strikeout stuff.

Spring training provided a great preview of that.

He threw 16.2 innings, recording a 1.62 ERA with 19 strikeouts and only two walks.

The uptick in velocity and strikeouts are going to get him noticed even more by voters, and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN predicts it will result in a massive jump up the Cy Young Award ballot.

The MLB writer has shared a bold prediction of Sanchez finishing in the top three of NL Cy Young voting, with his offseason improvements helping him take his game to the next level as he enters his prime.

Through two starts, he is blowing away his career K/9 of 8.2 with an eye-popping 13.1. His walk rate remains a minuscule 6.4%, but there is one area he does need to clean up as the season moves along.

Sanchez has been susceptible to giving up home runs this year.

He has already allowed three in 11 innings, accounting for 30% of the hits he has given up.

It is something he is capable of getting in check since he surrendered only 11 in 181.2 innings in 2024. Once that is taken care of, there is nothing stopping him from making his Cy Young push.