The Philadelphia Phillies have quite the pitching staff on their hands. Not every MLB team can sustain success on the pitching side, but the Phillies have passed that test with flying colors during their first 84 games in 2025.
Questions come up about what keeps this version of the Phillies team going night after night. The offense has studs, but this rotation is otherworldly. Phillies fans knew some of names were to be counted on, but the addition of Jesús Luzardo and rookie Mick Abel to Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez doesn't seem fair to opposing batters.
The rotation in 2024 was special, but 2025 could be even better if they can duplicate what they did in the first half.
Phillies' starting rotation stood out as the best in baseball through the first half
There is a reason the Phillies sent three starters to the All-Star Game last year, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. They're in their own tier of dominance. According to FanGraphs, the Phillies lead all starting staffs in fWAR with 10.9, the next closest being the Kansas City Royals at 8.3. For context, no other team has separation greater than 0.9 fWAR.
Phillies starters lead the league in quality starts (46), innings pitched (474 1/3), K/9 (9.70) and total strikeouts (511). Their 3.32 ERA also ranks third in baseball and is tops in the NL, and that includes Nola and his 6.16 ERA in nine starts before landing on the injured list.
Wheeler's latest start in Houston again proves his place in Cy Young contention, per MLB.com's Paul Casella. He's once again on the brink of a Cy Young Award with a 7-3 record, 2.55 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He also has 126 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched. His 126 strikeouts currently sits second behind only MacKenzie Gore with 129. The horses behind Wheeler have been just as elite and truly make the Phillies a juggernaut on the defensive side of the ball.
Zack Wheeler, Wicked 87mph Sweeper. pic.twitter.com/JHMjyGdD9a
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 21, 2025
Ranger Suárez has arguably been the team's second-best starter behind Wheeler. He missed all of March and April with back issues, but immediately hit the ground running and has now pitched to a 7-2 record, a 2.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Suárez has also compiled 10 straight quality starts, with a 1.19 ERA, dating back to his second start of the year on May 10.
What's not to love about Cristopher Sánchez? A team favorite who became a true ace down the stretch last year and has carried that into 2025 with added velocity. His 7-2 record and a 2.79 ERA are impressive, and his ERA is a career best. What has really impressed about his game this year has been his increase in strikeout rate. His current strikeout percentage sits at 26.6 percent, with 103 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings. His previous high was 24.2 percent in 2023 when he only pitched 99 1/3 innings.
Newly acquired pitchers are always exciting. Seeing a new face cause a different ripple can inject some excitement. That's exactly what Jesús Luzardo has done. His overall numbers are inflated due to two blow-up starts where he gave up 20 combined runs, but has been dominant otherwise. He has pitched to a 7-4 record with a 4.06 ERA and secured some big wins for the Phillies, while his 111 strikeouts is currently sixth-best in the NL. His start on Saturday was the 51st time that a Phillies starter had gone at least five innings with two runs or fewer, the most in the majors, per MLB.com's Paul Casella.
Talk about a good first impression.
— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2025
Jesús Luzardo strikes out 11 in his @Phillies debut! pic.twitter.com/KgiQw8JpK7
Mick Abel will have a story to tell for years to come after beating Pirates' ace Paul Skenes in his scoreless debut. He's been a major help with the absence of Nola from the rotation and has been much better than your typical fifth starter. In five starts, he's pitched to a 2-1 record with a 3.47 ERA. There's uncertainty about Abel's future when Nola is healthy, but it's been a joy while it's lasted
They say pitching wins championships and with the way this staff has been producing and dominating the sport, that belief is warranted and entirely justifiable. It also makes it hard to believe that the Phillies still have the No. 1 pitching prospect set to debut in about a month in Andrew Painter.
Experts believed the Phillies have the elite starters to lead them to a lot of wins during the 2025 regular season. Being halfway through proved those people were definitely right to think that way. The great thing about the Phillies' rotation is they may not be the hardest throwing bunch, but their placement and pitch selection retain year after year with limited drop in effectiveness. Can they repeat the same greatness in the second half as they did in the first half? They haven't given any reason to doubt them yet.