Cristopher Sanchez

Sanchez missed the last half of spring training with soreness in his left triceps. He came off the IL in late April to make a start in a doubleheader, then was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Sanchez wasn't pitching well, but the Phillies needed rotation help, so they recalled Sanchez in mid-June. Something clicked as the right-handers went on to start 17 more games, with one relief appearance. His 3.44 ERA was fully supported by its estimators, though Sanchez benefited from a .272 BABIP, which is low for a pitcher with a 57 percent ground ball rate. His four percent walk rate was much lower than previous seasons, while his 24.2 strikeout clip matched his minor league track record. Sanchez isn't assured of a spot in the opening day rotation, but he merits a long look in the spring. He'll be hard-pressed to match his 1.05 WHIP as his BABIP is likely to increase as well as giving back some of the control gains exhibited lasts season. Sanchez's three-pitch mix, featuring a 92-mph sinker, changeup and slider doesn't portend a front-end starter, but Sanchez could be a reliable back-end fantasy guy, shielded from the most potent lineups.

Sanchez made the Opening Day roster for the first time in 2022, though he spent the year bouncing between the majors and minors, never doing enough to stick permanently at the highest level. He started three games and pitched in relief in 12 more, finishing with a 5.63 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 40 innings. His ERA estimators suggested he was the victim of some bad luck, though even his 4.02 SIERA hardly indicates a future as a high-impact weapon. Both Sanchez's 19.8 K% and 9.6 BB% were sub-par, and his 54.2% groundball rate, while above-average, wasn't nearly enough of an outlier to make up for them. The lefty did manage a much better 3.14 ERA in 15 appearances (including 14 starts) at the Triple-A level, with correspondingly stronger ratios, but at age 26, he's past the point where a large step forward is likely. He'll likely be fighting for a swingman role this season and should be streamed with caution if he earns any starts.