The Philadelphia Phillies could have a real Cy Young race on their hands, even with their ace Zack Wheeler done for the season. Their other star, Cristopher Sánchez, has had a special season in 2025 and will carry the title of ace (subscription required), per Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic. He's been among the best pitchers in the sport and could even rival Pittsburgh Pirates' ace Paul Skenes for the NL Cy Young Award. Both would be chasing their first in their respective careers.
Skenes has been the gold standard of pitching since he debuted just last May. Through 26 starts in 2025, it's been more of the same, pitching to a 2.16 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP while accruing 174 strikeouts over 154 innings pitched. Right now, he remains the front-runner for the Cy Young Award, according to DraftKings.
Cristopher Sánchez in fight for NL Cy Young Award
Sánchez has been every bit as dominant as his teammate Zack Wheeler with an 11-4 record, 2.46 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 169 strikeouts in 157 innings pitched. Sánchez has already surpassed his strikeout total from last year (153) while also dropping his ERA substantially (3.32 ERA in 2024).
He has been every bit the pitcher the Phillies wanted this season, with even greater upside. The only thing left to prove with how great he has been this season would be to win the NL Cy Young crown. Sánchez has stepped up massively, and the belief that he could steal the award from Skenes is real, per MLB.com's Paul Casella.
Here's a head-to-head comparison:
Stat | Sánchez | Skenes |
|---|---|---|
bWAR | 6.2 | 5.9 |
GS | 25 | 26 |
IP | 157 | 154 |
W-L | 11-4 | 7-9 |
ERA | 2.46 | 2.16 |
WHIP | 1.10 | 0.96 |
SO | 169 | 174 |
BB | 38 | 37 |
Skenes and Wheeler were battling as the top two contenders for the majority of the year, but Sánchez has stayed alongside them the entire time. He has turned himself into an elite pitcher with just a three-pitch mix, compared to Skenes' seven different pitches.
Entering Saturday, his 30 percent whiff rate is the eighth-highest in MLB, right behind Skenes' 30.1 percent. Sánchez's changeup has been his greatest swing-and-miss pitch with a 45.1 percent whiff rate, which ranks second in baseball behind only reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Sánchez made his first All-Star team in 2024, but if only everyone knew that the surface was just being scratched on his potential. He missed out on an All-Star selection this season, to Phillies fans' dismay, but they may get rewarded with something much more prestigious in the NL Cy Young Award.