Cristopher Sanchez Could Be The Phillies Secret Weapon In 2024

No one was expecting much when Cristopher Sanchez was called up last season. We have seen him pitch before, and we assumed he was just here to fill the 5th starter role until the Phillies could do something at the deadline. But then he pitched well. Really well. Through June and July, he had a Sub 3.0 ERA. He struggled a bit in August, but then bounced back in September, and even gave them one solid, albiet short, start is the playoffs. Which begs the question, is he actually good?

What led to him going from a spot starter to someone who finished with a 3.44 ERA across 18 starts? Well for one, his control improved greatly. He went from walking nearly 10% of the batters he faced to just 4%. Only two % of MLB Pitchers had a better BB%.

He started missing more bats too. His K rate went up nearly 5 %. That was helped by him having a chase rate of 34.8%. He gets people to chase his pitches outside of the zone at an elite level. Which tends to happen when you spend so much time in the strike zone, it becomes easier to fool people when you do throw a ball. He also produced more ground balls. All of that led to him having a great season. And those improved numbers show that it was more than just luck.

One of the keys is he threw his sinker a bit less. In past seasons he was far too reliant on it. He threw it over 60% of the time. MLB Hitters are good enough that if they see a pitch that often, they will usually hit it. There are some exceptions. Mariano Rivera almost exclusively threw his cutter. But unless the pitch you rely that heavily on is one of the best pitches in MLB history, you are going to run into trouble. But last year he pulled it back to 46%. Using his changeup and slider a bit more. And it paid off. Players hit just .148 off his changeup.

Using the sinker less, and throwing more strikes, are quantifiable things we can point to and see why he improved. It was not just him getting lucky on where balls in play went. He improved a part of his game, and it led to better results. The Phillies worked with him on those things, and it worked. That tells you that it wasn't just a fluke, it was real progress. If you have good pitches, which Sanchez does, and you can throw them for strikes, you are going to be successful.

Will he be an Ace? Maybe not. The velocity on his pitches is below average. That perhaps limits his ceiling a bit. But the Phillies aren't asking him to outduel Spencer Strider or Zac Gallen. He is their 4th or 5th starter. And if you compare him to all the other 4th or 5th starters around the league, he comes away looking really good. The Phillies already have Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez. We can't trust Taijuan Walker completely, but he is more than good enough to be your 4th or 5th guy. Now add Cristopher Sanchez on top of that? It is a hell of a starting rotation, even without making another move.

Sanchez's 2022 season was the real deal. And he could end up being a secret weapon for them at the back of their rotation if he carries over all the improvements he made in 2023.

The Phillies have been around for a long time. They played their first season in 1883, making them one of the oldest franchises in the MLB. And they are the oldest team to keep one name in stay in one city. Other teams, like the Braves, are older than the Phillies but were not in Atlanta that whole time. Then you have the Reds, who have played in Cincinnati longer but used to go by different names.

Unfortunately, being around that long has not led to much winning. Apart from a period in the 80, the 2000's, and now the 2020s, they have mostly been a bad baseball team. They have the most losses in MLB history, and just two World Series in about 140 seasons.

But that does not mean they have not had amazing players. Even when they were perennial losers, they had some true Hall of Fame Level players giving Philadelphians something to enjoy. 32 Phillies have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. They have inducted 47 players managers or broadcasters onto their Wall of Fame. But they, like every pro team, save a special honor for only the best players in team history. Retired numbers.

10 players, 9 of whom played for the Phillies, have their number retired with the team. Including guys who played in 1911, all the way through to someone who played their last MLB game in 2013. Which 10 players were so good they earned that honor? Let's run through those names. And while we are at it, let's look at 3 names who should go up on that wall and have their numbers retired soon.

2,574 hits, 234 steals, 1322 runs, all while playing great defense in Center field. Richie Ashburn was one of a kind. He was the 2nd player to go onto the Phillies Wall of Fame, has a section of Citizens Bank Park named after him, and of course, had his #1 retired by the Phillies. He also went on to serve as the Phillies Color Commentator for years alongside Harry Kalas

Jim Bunning only spent 6 of his 17 seasons with the Phillies. But he made the most of that limited time. Bunning is perhaps best known for his Father's Day Perfect Game. He is one of just two pitchers to throw a perfect game for the Phillies (we will get to the other guy later). Bunning made 9 All-Star teams, is on the Phillies Wall of Fame, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as well. Now his number 14 hangs up in Citizens Bank Park, and will never be worn by a Phillies player again.

The most recent name to go up there among the retired numbers at Citizens Bank Park. As of now, Allen is the only Phillies player to have his number retired to not be in the Hall of Fame. But that is the MLB's mistake for not inducting him yet. Allen is definitely deserving of being there. Allen has 351 HRs, 1,119 RBIs, an MVP Award, and 7 All-Star Appearances. The fact that the MLB has continued to snub Allen from the Hall of Fame played a big decision in John Middleton retiring his number 15 in 2020.

Schmidt is the best player in Phillies history. There are some others guys you could maybe argue for, but none with the resume of Schmidt. He is also the Greatest 3rd Basemen in baseball history period. 12- All-Star Games, 10 Gold Gloves, 3 MVPs, and a  World Series victory, to go with his 548 HRs and 1594 RBIs. There is a very good reason no Phillies player will ever wear the number 20 ever again.

Carlton has a strong case to be the best Left-handed Pitcher ever. 4 Cy Youngs. He was the first pitcher to ever accomplish that. He is also one of the rare cases of a trade actually going well for the Phillies. He and Schmidt helped break the Phillies curse and win the first World Series in the history of the franchise. And now no one will ever wear his number 32 again for the Phillies.

No one spent less time with the Phillies but still had their number retired. Just 4 seasons, only 3 of which went well. But he did more in those few seasons than anyone does in their career. He won a Cy Young, tossed the 2nd Perfect Game in Phillies History, and the 2nd Playoff No-Hitter in MLB History. He sadly passed way before his time, and in the wake of that tragedy, they made the decision to posthumously honor him by retiring his #34.

Robin Roberts pre-dates the Cy Young award, otherwise, he may have a ton of them. He had a 3.41 career ERA, led the league in Complete Games 5 straight times, wins 4 straight times, an strikeouts 2 straight years. He was the first Phillies player to ever go onto the Wall of Fame and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976. Which explains why the Phillies retired his #36.

Jackie never played for the Phillies. But he became the first and only player to have his number retired by every MLB Team. What Jackie Robinson did was so much bigger than baseball. He was an amazing player, but more importantly, he broke the color barrier in the league. His actions allowed so many more all-time great Baseball players to get their chance. The Phillies have their own shameful role to play in that story. But thankfully now they can join the rest of the MLB in honoring his memory by retiring his number 42. Except on Jackie Robinson Day when everyone wears it.

The Phillies did not adopt numbered jerseys until 1932, with Klein's career already underway. And in his 11 years with jersey numbers, he wore 7 different numbers, including 1 (already retired for Ashburn), and 32 (Carlton). So instead of retiring a number Klein had no real connection to, they just went with the Old School P that the Phillies wore during his time with the team. Klein hit 300 HRs, 243 of which came with the Phillies. He also accomplished the elusive Triple Crown in 1933.

While Klein had too many numbers to pick one to retire, Alexander had no numbers. His entire career came before the Phillies ever wore Jersey numbers. So they had no option but to just put the P there for him. Alexander went into the 3rd ever Hall of Fame Class in 1939. Joining an elite group of players and managers including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and Connie Mack.

For 5 years, Ryan Howard was as good as any Power Hitter in the league. It is unfortunate his career got a late start, and injuries forced it to end early. But from 2005-2011 he was a force to be reckoned with. His 382 HRs are 2nd in Phillies history, he won MVP and Rookie of the Year, holds the Phillies Single Season HR Record, and of course, helped them win their 2nd World Series. He absolutely deserves to be up on that Wall with these other 10 players.

Jimmy Rollins should be in the Hall of Fame, but that is an argument for another day. What is even less up for debate is his place among the Phillies whose numbers have been retired. Rollins is in the exclusive 20-20-20-20 club, which is for guys who hit 20 Hrs, 20 Doubles, 20 Triples, with 20 steals. The list is him, Curtis Granderson, Will Mays, and Schulte. Even beyond that MVP season, his whole career here was great. Put the man in the Hall, and put him on the Wall alongside Schmidt, Carlton, and Roberts. No one should ever wear the number 11 again.

As Harry Kalas once said, "Chase Utley, you are the man." 259 HRs, 233 of which came with the Phillies. He is the least accomplished of the Phillies trio of players from that era. but he is still more than deserving of having his number retired. The guy became a fan favorite just by quietly doing his job, and occasionally dropping a F-Bomb when he finally does say something. Like with Howard's #6, and Rollins's #11, no one should ever wear Utley's #26 ever again.