Who makes the Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day rotation?
Ranger Suarez
A left-handed pitcher, Ranger Suarez has been with the organization since 2012 but hasn’t been up on this roster except for the last couple of seasons. Last season was his first true season as a starter, and he had an up-and-down season as it would be expected for a pitcher transitioning from become a reliever to a full-time starter.
Fastball – 93 MPH
Changeup – 85 MPH
Cutter – 90 MPH
Curve – 77 MPH
Slider – 83 MPH
Suarez has good velocity and control on all of his pitches for a good majority of his starts. However, when he starts to get to the fourth or fifth inning, it seems like Suarez begins to lose his control and can lose focus and the grip on where the game currently is. In 29 games, Suarez had a 10-7 record. With a 3.65 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 155.1 innings pitched, Suarez needs to be able to keep his composure as he does so well in games. Suarez’s biggest challenge this year is to be able to consistently go deep into games. I’m not asking for eight innings, but at least get through the sixth and allow the bullpen to come in and do its job.
Aaron Nola
A right-handed pitcher and the longest-tenured Phillie, Nola has seen it all with this organization, but mostly the bad. This past season was the first time Nola got to experience what a Red October is and what it entails. Needless to say, it was worth the wait. Nola has seemingly had bad Septembers, along with the rest of the team since the beginning of his tenure here in Philly, but Nola and the Phillies overcame it and there was no one better to send them to the postseason for the first time in 10 years then Nola himself.
Fastball – 93 MPH
Curve – 79 MPH
Changeup – 86 MPH
Cutter – 87 MPH
Nola has been great in his tenure with the Phillies. His biggest downfall has been the month of September. Whether its fatigue or lack of focus in the stretch run, Nola, in the past, just couldn’t seem to show up in September. While Nola was great in the postseason, you could see that fatigue was setting in and Nola’s velocity and control started to become a thing of the past. If Nola can pitch deep into September, then teams are going to have a rough go at it.
Zack Wheeler
A right-handed pitcher, Zack Wheeler has become the one of the most dominant pitchers in the game, even though he was ruled out and called washed up because of injury concerns. Matt Klentak had other ideas, bringing Wheeler to Philadelphia on a five-year, $118 million contract. Without Wheeler, the Phillies don’t go as far in the postseason as they did. Even when he wasn’t at 100%, Wheeler still went out and gave the team all he could. A true definition of a warrior, Wheeler can be lights out when needed.
Fastball – 96 MPH
Slider – 91 MPH
Curve – 81 MPH
Changeup – 90 MPH
Zack Wheeler’s biggest problem in his career was injuries. Wheeler missing time before going into the postseason definitely had him not as sharp as he usually was. The break most likely interrupted his flow and overall confidence. Pitchers are similar to goalies and need to be able to get reps and their pre-game rituals in. Zack Wheeler needed a little bit of time to find his rhythm again but when he did, he was dominant. Wheeler needs to stay healthy, injuries happen, but missing significant time is something the Phillies can not afford.
Cristopher Sánchez
A left-handed pitcher, Cristopher Sánchez is still a work in progress to be a starter. While Sánchez is a decent option, he will most likely either continue to start in Triple-A or could be reliever in the bullpen. The bullpen could use some more arms and Sánchez’s could be a great addition. Sánchez doesn’t have a big arsenal of pitches, but learning to be effective with the couple he has can be just as dangerous as a pitcher with five in his repertoire. I personally don’t think he can outpitch Andrew Painter or Bailey Falter, but camp is different than playing in actual spring training games. Time will tell whether or not Sánchez is a Major League pitcher or not.
Sánchez was 2-2 this past season, pitching in 15 games and starting three of them. Sánchez had 40 innings pitched with 35 strikeouts but a whopping 5.63 ERA. Sánchez needs to take a leap forward this spring training with Dave Dombrowski constantly looking to add talent.
Fastball – 93 MPH
Changeup – 84 MPH
Slider – 85 MPH
Bailey Falter
One of the guys who really made a good impression as a starter, Bailey Falter came in to start when Zack Wheeler went down with an injury, and he was able to help fill a void left by the Phillies ace. Pitching in 20 games and starting in 16 of them, Falter ended the season with a record of 6-4. Falter was impressive and, when he was on his game, he was a hard pitcher to go against. Most of us probably remember his last start in the postseason where he gave up three hits and four runs and recorded just two outs, but we can’t let that be a deciding factor for Falter in 2023.
With an ERA of 3.86, it took Falter a while to really find his footing in the Majors against good hitters, but there were flashes of what could be a really good fifth starter for the Phillies. Adding him to the lineup could help a lot, especially for not having to have a bullpen game, but having him as more of a long reliever would be a great move for this team as well. Having him available for back-to-backs would be a huge advantage for this team and pitching staff.
Fastball – 91 MPH
Curve – 77 MPH
Slider – 84 MPH
Changeup – 83 MPH
Andrew Painter
Everyone has been waiting for Andrew Painter. The top pitching prospect in the country, Painter has a lot of hype around him, and he should. The last pitcher in the Phillies system to have this much hype was probably Sixto Sanchez. All the reports from camp have Painter leading the way for that final starting spot in the rotation. If Painter can even be close to an ace, this team could be a top three team in the MLB, if not the top. If Painter doesn’t make the roster, he will most likely end up back in Triple-A for some time. I just don’t see Painter being called up unless he is getting meaningful time in the majors.
Next. The top 5 home series for the Phillies in 2023. dark
Spring training games are just around the corner and I, like everyone else, am so excited to see what he can do.