Cristopher Sanchez could be the first Phillies pitcher to do this since Roy Halladay

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez comes into the new season with some added pressure. He will be looked at as the premier left-handed option in the rotation and will be expected to lead the rotation at the start. 

The club will be without Ranger Suarez, who became a free agent at the end of the 2025 season and signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox. On top of that, Zack Wheeler will not be ready to go at the start while he continues to rehab from the surgery he underwent in September to address a blood clot. 

Much is riding on Sanchez's arm. However, he is coming off a career year where he compiled a 13-5 record with a 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts on 202 innings of work. 

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Cristopher Sanchez could be the first Phillies pitcher to do this since Roy Halladay

With what Sanchez did last season, he nearly won a Cy Young Award. But that would be given to Pittsburgh Pirates' flamethrower Paul Skenes, while Sanchez finished second. 

Sanchez has been riding a trend of consistently getting better over the last two years, which has helped his stock. According to ESPN, he comes into the 2026 season ranked as the 19th-best player, and Eric Karabell believes he can become the first Philadelphia starter to reach a 20-win season since 2010. 

"Season prediction: Thanks to better bullpen performance, Sanchez becomes the Phillies' first 20-game winner since ... Roy Halladay in 2010, and only the second since Steve Carlton in 1982."

With some of the arms the Phillies have had over the years, it's hard to believe they haven't had a 20-game winner since Halladay did it back in 2010. Sanchez would be in some pretty elite company if he can put it all together and get a little help from the high-leverage late-inning guys. 

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