Spring training performances shouldn’t be overanalyzed, but when they’re this impressive, it’s hard to ignore. Cristopher Sánchez pitched three innings against the Pirates, delivering an enticing performance. He struck out four, allowed two soft-hit singles (both under 83 mph exit velocity), and gave up one run, which scored after he handed the ball to Tyler Phillips.
Sánchez’s sinker averaged 97.0 mph—up 2.5 mph from last season. He threw 18 changeups, generating six whiffs on seven swings. He’s incorporating a cutter into his arsenal. And, notably, he’s added muscle.
Of course, it’s still spring training, so take the velocity spike and swing-and-miss rates with a grain of salt. Baseball Reference rates his average opponent quality this spring between Double-A and Triple-A, meaning he’s not consistently facing MLB regulars.
Still, the eye test? Sánchez is passing with flying colors.
He entered camp as a popular breakout pick, though in many ways, his breakout already happened. Last season, he finished seventh in fWAR, posted a 3.32 ERA over 180+ innings, and placed tenth in NL Cy Young voting. By late June, the Phillies had seen enough to lock him into a four-year, $22.5 million extension—a contract that looks like a bargain given his trajectory.
Perhaps the disconnect between the breakout narrative and his strong 2024 season suggests Sánchez is poised to reach yet another level. While it’s only March 8, early signs indicate he could elevate his game even further.
His regular-season debut is set for either March 29 (Game 2) or sometime later, but one thing is clear: he’s no worse than the second-best arm in a rotation that could be MLB’s best by year’s end.
Rotation order isn’t always about merit—it’s often based on tradition. Aaron Nola’s Opening Day streak ended just last year, and the Phillies may hesitate to push their longest-tenured pitcher further down the pecking order. Keeping Nola at No. 2 would be reasonable.
But if the Phillies prioritize performance over tradition, Sánchez has made his case. Given what he showed last season and in his first 7 2/3 innings of spring, it’s hard not to wonder just how high his ceiling might be.