Wednesday marked five years since the Phillies acquired Cristopher Sánchez in a trade with the Rays. It also marked the first time the left-hander finished in the top 10 of NL Cy Young Award voting, capping off one heck of a year.
Receiving two fifth-place votes like Sánchez did doesn’t sound like much of an accomplishment. But for someone with his past, it is. It wasn’t too long ago when it looked like the Phillies “lost” their trade with the Rays. The player they sent to Tampa, Curtis Mead, turned into a top-100 prospect during his time in the Rays’ minor-league system. Sánchez didn’t receive such recognition after joining the Phillies organization.
The left-hander from the Dominican Republic didn’t pitch in 2020. There wasn’t a minor-league season. In 2021, he pitched at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and made his major-league debut. He posted a 4.68 ERA in 19 appearances for the IronPigs and a 4.97 ERA in 12 2/3 innings for the Phillies.
The following year, Sánchez was better in the minors. But he continued to struggle in the majors. Doubt surrounded his future.
Sánchez entered 2023 Spring Training with a shot to be the Phillies’ fifth starter. However, an injury took him out of consideration. Months later, the Phillies were still looking for someone to round out their rotation. Sánchez was called upon on June 17 to start a game in Oakland against the Athletics. He hasn’t looked back since.
Sánchez hasn’t returned to the minors since that day in Oakland, where he pitched four innings of shutout baseball. Instead, he turned his career around. He helped stabilize the Phillies’ rotation for the remainder of 2023, finishing the regular season with a 3.44 ERA in 99 1/3 innings. He pitched in October, too, starting Game 4 of the NLCS.
This past year, Sánchez was even better. After a strong start to the season, the Phillies rewarded him with a contract extension in June. His efforts were rewarded further a month later. He was named an All-Star in July. He even pitched an inning in the Midsummer Classic. Sánchez continued to pitch well down the stretch, making the Phillies comfortable giving him the ball in Game 2 of the NLDS.
Altogether, Sánchez finished 2024 as one of the best pitchers in the NL. He was seventh in innings pitched (181 2/3), seventh in ERA (3.32) and fourth in wins above replacement (4.7), per FanGraphs. He also pitched two complete games, one of which was a shutout. Dating back even further, since that outing in Oakland 17 months ago, Sánchez ranks eighth in ERA (3.32) and ninth in wins above replacement (6.3) in Major League Baseball.
2024 was an outstanding year for Sánchez, and he was nationally recognized for his efforts. There is no longer any doubt surrounding his future, either, as he’s become one of baseball’s better starting pitchers.
