The NL Cy Young slipped away, but Cristopher Sanchez just cemented himself as the Phillies’ next franchise ace — and the league knows it. DD
Before the season even started, people were hyping up Cristopher Sanchez. We saw the Phillies’ Lefty Starter take a big leap in 2024. But he came into Spring Training looking…
Before the season even started, people were hyping up Cristopher Sanchez. We saw the Phillies’ Lefty Starter take a big leap in 2024. But he came into Spring Training looking even better. Jayson Stark called him a “Dark Horse” to win the Cy Young when he joined 97.5 The Fanatic.
It turns out Stark knew what he was talking about. Sanchez did not win the NL Cy Young. That honor went to Paul Skenes, who somehow kept his ERA under 2.0 on the season. But after an amazing 2025 season, Cristopher Sanchez did finish second in the Cy Young voting.
Sanchez received all 30 2nd-Place votes, with Paul Skenes getting every 1st-place vote. Jesus Luzardo finished 7th, with 1 4th-place vote and 3 5th-place votes. Zack Wheeler, despite his season ending 2 months early, still received a single 5th-place vote.
Cristopher Sanchez Has A Breakout Year
- 2.50 ERA (5th in MLB)
- 212 Ks (7th)
- 22 Quality Starts (1st)
- 202 IPs (2nd)
- 1.06 WHIP (12th)
- 8.0 WAR (1st)
No one saw this coming a few years ago. He joined the Phillies rotation in 2023 as a fill-in guy. At the time, most people viewed him as a AAAA-type guy. But he pitched so well they kept him in. He followed that up with an even better 2024 season to prove it was no fluke. This year, he proved he is one of the best starters in the league.
The good news, the Phillies have team control until 2030. They signed a very team-friendly deal last season that keeps him here for the long haul. 3 more seasons at least, and then 2 years with a team option. He never makes over $10 million until he reaches the team options, and then he makes $15 million in year 1 and $16 million in year 2.
