The Philadelphia Phillies are enjoying the benefits of one of the best pitching rotations in the sport, but the emergence of a young starter could create a bit of a problem down the line.
In his fifth career season with the Phillies, Cristopher Sanchez has dominated to the tune of a 2.40 ERA and 145 strikeouts across 22 starts. The performance has placed him firmly in the conversation for the National League Cy Young Award, though he might have some competition from veteran teammate Zack Wheeler.
Now in his sixth season for the Phillies, Wheeler has a 2.64 ERA with 182 strikeouts across his own 22 starts so far.
As a result, it’s difficult to say which starter in Philadelphia is having a better season. But after a big performance in a marquee matchup against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, former general manager Steve Phillips is giving the edge to Sanchez and said the young southpaw should replace Wheeler as the Phillies’ first playoff starter.
“Their best pitcher right now is a young left-hander who went out and dominated yesterday the Detroit Tigers, who might be a World Series matchup,” Phillips said in an MLB Network segment on Monday. “Cristopher Sanchez is the best starting pitcher right now for the Philadelphia Phillies and so, for me, he gets Game 1. And then, Joe Torre used to talk about how Game 2, how important that was, throw Zack Wheeler in that one. But give me Sanchez Game 1 to get off to a good start.”
Anointing Sanchez as the Game 1 starter in a likely Phillies playoff run would mark a harsh replacement for Wheeler, despite the fact that he’s enjoying a comparable season. Wheeler started the Phillies’ first game in last year’s National League Division Series against the New York Mets and he has a 2.18 ERA in 12 postseason appearances.
Given Wheeler’s experience and production in the playoffs to date, it seems unlikely that Sanchez would really supplant him as the team’s Game 1 starter. Ultimately, the Phillies should be happy to have two strong options in a likely postseason series. But depending on how the rest of the season shakes out, there’s suddenly at least a possibility that Sanchez has emerged as the team’s strongest ace option.
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