Is Cristopher Sanchez As Bad On The Road As The Numbers Suggest?

Who should start game 2 for the Phillies, Aaron Nola, or Cristopher Sanchez? A debate has raged in Philly for a few weeks. Now that they have the bye week secured, and can set up their rotation exactly how they want, it has really taken off.

Some say let Nola start because he is more proven and has done it in the past. Some say let Sanchez start because he has better numbers this season. Others like the idea of breaking up the righties and lefties in the rotation.

But another factor in the debate is the wild Home/Road Splits for Cristopher Sanchez. At Citizens Bank Park this season, he has a sparkling 2.21 ERA to go with a 0.97 WHIP over 17 starts. His ERA bloats to 5.02, and his WHIP to 1.66, over 14 starts everywhere else.

Those numbers are pretty staggering. Without any further context, they make a convincing case that Sanchez struggles on the road, and dominates at home. So why wouldn't you want to play to his strengths and let him make his 1st start at home? Aaron Nola's 3.79 Road ERA would presumably give you a much better chance in game 3, wouldn't it?

On paper, yes. But I was curious just how accurate of a picture that 5.02 ERA painted. Is he actually that bad on the road, or is it being inflated by a few bad starts? So I dug deeper, going game by game for both Nola and Sanchez, to see if the disparity is as bad as the numbers make it seem.

Sanchez has 2 starts this season where he gave up 7 or more runs. Both of those came on the road. The DBacks in August, and the Cubs in July.

Take those away, his ERA drops from 5.02 to 3.71. In 7 of his 14 starts on the road, he allowed 2 or fewer runs. In only 4 of them, did he allow 4 or more runs. Compare that to Nola, and he also has given up 4 or more runs in 4 road starts. He gave up 2 or fewer runs in 8 of his 15 road starts.

It kind of feels like Sanchez had two awful starts, but otherwise has been pretty ok on the road. He is certainly better at home. But the splits may be a bit misleading in terms of his ERA. The fact that his splits went the opposite way last year tells you that maybe these splits carry less weight than we would think.

But there is another trend I found with Sanchez on the road that suggests he does have some problems. And unlike with the ERA, you can't erase it just by taking away the 2 worst starts.

At home, Sanchez hardly ever walks people. He has just 17 BBs in 110 innings at home. Only 1.51 walks per 9 innings. That is compared to 27 walks in 71.2 innings on the road. A big jump up to 3.71 walks per 9 innings.

He has walked at least 2 people in 8 of his 14 road starts, as compared to just 3 times in his 17 home starts. He has walked at least 3 people 5 times on the road, compared to just once at home.

That is not just a few bad games inflating his stats, it is a pattern. A concerning pattern. It is a massive reason why his WHIP is so much higher on the road. And it is why he goes from 6.47 innings per game at home, to only 5.12 innings per game on the road.

He has had to work much harder and had to pitch out of tougher situations on the road. So right after we talk about his ERA maybe not being as bad as we think it is on the road, there might actually be potential for it to be worse. Maybe a bit better than the 5.02 ERA he has, but worse than the 3.71 we got by taking away his 2 worst starts.

The walk rate is a real problem for him, and unlike the ERA issue, it is not one he shares with Aaron Nola. Nola's walk rate is slightly higher on the road, you would find that is the case for most pitchers most likely. But the jump is way less drastic. From 2.25 at home to 2.39 on the road. That is a small enough of a difference to write it off as a coincidence. But you can't just write off a jump of over 2 walks per 9 innings.

The ERA may not tell the full picture, but he does have real problems on the road, even when you take away his 2 worst outings. There is something about pitching at home that makes Sanchez more comfortable.

But should they base their whole post-season plans around that? I don't know. Rob Thomson certainly didn't sound like he was going to factor it into his decision-making, but he is not exactly always forthright with the media. He is definitely from the camp of say less when a microphone is in his face.

I still think they go with what they know in game 2, which is Nola. Nola has earned it, and Nola has proven it, whereas Sanchez has just 1 playoff start, where they only let him go 3 innings. Sanchez's last few road starts have been good, in some cases even very good. There is something to the walk issue, but not enough to upend all of your playoff plans.

Philly fans have a special place in their heart for homegrown players. Some of our favorite players ever came from other teams, but the guys who started their careers in Philly, who we saw go from rookies to superstars in front of our eyes, get that extra bit of love. But who are the best homegrown Phillies in team history?

We are not talking about players born in Philly. If you want the best baseball players ever who grew up in the local area, we already have you covered here. This list is for the guys who started their careers as members of the Phillies. Either by being drafted here, being traded as a prospect, or signing as an amateur free agent.

Unfortunately, that leaves a lot of guys off the list. Steve Carlton is a legend, but he did not start his career in Philly. Bryce Harper is one of the best hitters we have ever seen. But he signed here as a free agent. The same goes for guys like Zack Wheeler, Cliff Lee, etc. If you want a list of the best Phillies who came here via free agency or trade, you can check out the article below.

Related: The All-Time Roster Of Phillies Players Acquired In Free Agency

Some of the positions were easy to pick. There were some tough choices. Also, a few positions that exposed just how bad the Phillies have been at acquiring amateur talent in their history. But there are some truly great players who got their start here.

So who is the best left fielder to come up through the Phillies system? The best relief pitcher? Starting pitchers? We picked the best players from each position.

.264/.350/.391/.742 

71 HRs, 405 Runs, 415 RBIs, 25 Steals 

This was tough between Darren Daulton and Carlos Ruiz. Daulton was the better hitter, but Ruiz was better behind the plate and accomplished more in his time here. I went with Chooch as my pick. He caught 4 no-hitters, including a perfect game. There are a few catchers better at the plate than him, but none can touch what he accomplished behind it.

Also, he was part of the greatest commercial ever.

.258/.343/.515/.859 

382 HRs, 848 Runs, 1194 RBIs, 12 Steals 

The answer was obviously Ryan Howard. Over a 5-year period few players were more terrifying at the plate than him. He got called up too late, and an injury ended his career too soon. So his career numbers look less impressive than they should. But Howard is one of the best hitters in Phillies history. His 2006 season was magical.

I did consider Dick Allen, who also got his start here, and who by the end of his career played more at 1st than anywhere else. But he was mostly a 3rd baseman in Philly. And I think I'd pick Howard over him even if he did play 1st here, just for the sheer impact of Howard’s prime years. 

.275/.358/.468/.823 

259 HRs, 1103 Runs, 1025 RBIs, 154 Steals 

The Infield is going to be way too obvious for these choices. It is debatable if Utley is the best player of the bunch from those late 2000s Phillies teams. But Utley is far and away the best second basemen in Phillies history, homegrown or not. The next guy down would probably be Juan Samuel. Samuel gets underrated a bit. But he doesn’t come close to touching what Utley did.

Utley had a pretty good debut in the Hall of Fame vote this year. It gives him a decent chance to be the one member from that 2008 team to get into the Hall of Fame.

.264/.324/.418/.743 

231 HRs, 1421 Runs, 936 RBIs, 470 Steals 

For my money, the best player from that team. He was the heart and soul of the Phillies. He also leads the franchise in hits. People who look at spreadsheets instead of baseball games are going to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Which is a shame. Jimmy Rollins is one of the greatest Phillies players ever, arguably the 2nd best shortstop of his era behind Derek Jeter, and among the most fun players to watch on a baseball field.

The guy had a season with 30 homers, 41 steals, 20 triples, and 38 doubles. He won an MVP. Jimmy Rollins was a damn good baseball player who gets overlooked for some reason.

.267/.380/.527/.908 

548 HRs, 1506 Runs, 1595 RBIs, 174 Steals 

Again, the infield was way too obvious. Mike Schmidt is not just the greatest Phillies player ever, he is the greatest 3rd Baseman period. 548 HRs, 10 Gold Gloves, 3 MVPs, and the MVP of the Phillies first ever World Series.

There are other great Phillies 3rd Basemen. We already mentioned Dick Allen, but there is also Scott Rolen. Both were tremendous players for the Phillies, even if the teams they were on weren't so great at times. But neither comes close to touching the greatness of Schmidt.

.276/.363/.478/.840 

307 HRs, 880 Runs, 1128 RBIs, 37 Steals 

Finally, another position where there is some competition. It came down to The Bull, vs Pat "The Bat" Burrell, vs Del Ennis. I find it hard to put Del Ennis on here when not even my father got to see him play, at least when there are more modern players who are just as good of options. I grew up with Pat, and there are plenty of people I can talk to who watched Luzinski play. It was very close, but I went with Bull.

It might be understated just how good he was for them in the 70s. He was a bit past his prime by the time they won the World Series. But he finished 2nd in the MVP race in 1977. From 75 to 78, he was top 5 in RBIs, HRs, and Slugging. So I went with him. But I love Pat, and won’t argue with anyone who puts him here instead.

.308/.396/.382/. 778 

29 HRs, 1322 Runs, 586 RBIs, 234 Steals 

Centerfield was another one without much debate. They have one homegrown Center Fielder in the Hall Of Fame. It kind of takes the choice out of it. Richie didn't have much in terms of power. But he is a .300 career hitter who got on base nearly 40% of the time. He is also a legendary broadcaster.

There is also the fact the Phillies dont have very many other homegrown centerfielders who rose to greatness. Garry Maddox started with the Giants. Shane Victorino with the Padres. Cy Williams with the Cubs. You'd have to go back to the 1800s to find another name even worthy of mentioning. Maybe Johan Rojas, or eventually Justin Crawford, will change that.

.320/.379/.543/.922 

300 HRs, 1168 Runs, 1201 RBIs, 79 Steals 

The history of homegrown right fielders for the Phillies is as bleak as centerfield was. All the notable right-fielders you can think of from recent history started somewhere else. Werth came up with the Blue Jays. Bobby Abreu with the Astros. Callison with the White Sox.

I had to go back to the 20s and 30s. I can’t really say much about Klein. There is not even much footage of his playing days. But he won a triple crown and hit over 300 career HRs, 243 of which came in Philly. He is also in the Hall of Fame and hit over .300 with over 300 HRs. Kleinm is also one of a few players to hit 4 HRs in one game.

He is deserving of the spot. It just feels disappointing to include someone on the list pretty much no one reading this will have seen play. But he was the obvious choice here given the next best option was from the 1800s.

3.41 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 286 Wins, 2357 Ks 

The Phillies two greatest starters, Steve Carlton and Roy Halladay, did not begin their careers here. Leaving Robin Roberts and Ferguson Jenkins the only homegrown pitchers from the Phillies to make the Hall of Fame. But Jenkins only pitched two seasons here.  So Robin Roberts was the obvious choice to be the Ace of this staff.

3.43 ERA, 163 Wins, 1.18 WHIP, 2560 Ks 

Pitching with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee makes us forget how amazing Cole Hamels actually was. He is not a Hall of Famer, but is not too far off that mark.

His ERA here was 3.30. He was an Ace in every season except 2009, and his rookie season. Without Cole Hamels, the Phillies would not have won their second World Series. Cole is a Phillies legend, and should arguably be held up there with Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley.

3.70 ERA, 104 Wins, 1.14 WHIP, 1779 Ks 

The only modern player to make this list. Mostly because the current team has little in the way of homegrown talent. It is Nola, Bryson Stott, Johan Rojas, Alec Bohm, and Orion Kerkering. Everyone except Nola is way too early in their career to be worthy of a place on this list.

Nola is one of two homegrown All-Stars in the past decade. The other is Odubel Herrera, who we don’t really want to talk about. Nola has been great at times, baffling at others. But he is still easily among the best pitchers drafted by the team. I'd have to go back to the 1800s to find a better pitcher than him or Hamels. Nola is now here for 7 more seasons. He will likely pitch his entire career in Philly. He may end up holding a lot of franchise records. And he can always be counted on to take the ball, go at least 6 innings, and keep the team in it. 

3.99 ERA, 116 Saves, 1.39 WHIP, 575 Ks 

I am not just putting him here because he is my co-worker. Nor am I putting him here because I have to see how hard he still throws balls when he whizzes a Nerf ball down the hall and past my head during every commercial break. He genuinely is the best reliever who came up as part of the Phillies.

Brad Lidge, Ron Reed, Tug McGraw, Billy Wagner, Gene Garber, and Steve Bedrosian all started their careers elsewhere. As did Mitch Williams, Larry Anderson, Jonathan Papelbon, and many others. Not only is Ricky the best RP who came up through the system, but there is not too much competition. At least not among people who eventually got a chance to close.

Ricky Bo was an All-Star in 1996. He is 9th in Phillies history in saves. Oh, and the guy many people would agree is the greatest hitter in MLB history, Barry Bonds, has a slash line of .091/.231/.182/.413 against Ricky. Most pitchers pitched around Bonds. Ricky only ever allowed 1 hit to him, and struck him out 5 times.