Phillies: Five pitchers to keep an eye on in spring training

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Sixto Sanchez

Sanchez was not one of the non-roster invitees to spring training this year, meaning he will spend most of spring training with the other minor-leaguers. The No. 27 player on the MLB Pipeline Top 100 list should still definitely draw some eyes.

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After missing most of last season due to inflammation in his elbow, Sanchez still has what it takes to become a great pitcher. There is a belief that he can pitch, not just throw, with command better than most pitchers with his kind of stuff. He offers a fastball that can hit three digits plus two above-average secondary pitches in his changeup and curveball.

When he did pitch, Sanchez dominated High-A with a 2.51 ERA, 2.66 fielding-independent pitching, 1.07 WHIP, and 4.09 strikeout-to-walk ratio in eight starts.

Sanchez did not pitch in the Arizona Fall League after experiencing soreness in his collarbone while recovering from his elbow injury.

He is expected to be ready to go once camp begins with the rest of the pack. He is still only 20, has lots of potential, and has plenty of time to figure things out. If he can escape the injuries, I believe he has the potential to move through the farm system quite quickly.

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Phillies pitchers and catchers report on February 13th. There will be plenty of eyes elsewhere, but the pitching battle should be interesting to follow. It is still unclear what the team plans to do with remaining free-agents, but I think the team has some solid talent within the system that deserves a look and an opportunity.