Phillies pitcher may be adding to his pitch arsenal this spring

Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies, Mets
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Phillies lefty Cristopher Sanchez earned himself an extension last June to the tune of a four-year deal worth $22.5 million. Sanchez proved his worth immediately by being nominated to his first All-Star game and finishing 10th in NL Cy Young voting. Currently, the three pitches in Sanchez’s repertoire are the sinker, the changeup, and the slider. This spring, he may be adding another.

Cristopher Sanchez is proving to be worth the price of his extension

Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies, Mets
Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Starting 31 games last season, Sanchez recorded a 3.32 ERA and was part of a Phillies rotation that was ranked third best in fWAR according to FanGraphs. He was elite in chase percentage and ground ball percentage ranking in the 98th and 95th percentile in those respective categories. When Sanchez did get tagged, he got tagged hard. Last season, he had an average max exit velocity of 120.0 — that’s landed in the bottom one percent in all of baseball. Adding another pitch could reduce that extremely high exit velocity.

Sanchez adding a cutter to his arsenal

According to Matt Gelb from The Athletic, Sanchez is working on a few new things:

“You have to keep adjusting,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “I am working on a few new things. I won’t say what those are, but I’m working.”

Gelb mentioned that Sanchez was working on a cutter last spring. He ranked seventh in fWAR (4.7) last season. With a new pitch possibly debuting this season, one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball may finish the 2025 season as one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in baseball.

The Phillies’ rotation is stacked

There is no question that the Phillies have one of the most talented and dangerous starting rotations in all of baseball. Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, and Zach Wheeler were all All-Stars last season. They added Jesus Luzardo this offseason and will have the eighth-ranked prospect in all of baseball, Andrew Painter in their rotation at some point this season as he is coming off an elbow injury. Outside of the Dodgers, this Phillies rotation may be the best in the National League.

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