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.
Spring training games are just around the corner and I, like everyone else, am so excited to see what he can do.