Phillies fans will love Cristopher Sanchez's player ranking from ESPN originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies might be going through some struggles right now, and there is some concern about whether the club can make the postseason.
But they'll have a chance as the rest of August and September roll along, thanks to their incredible pitching staff, led by Cristopher Sanchez. Even though he's had some tough outings here and there lately, he's still been elite overall.
ESPN ranked the top 50 players in baseball, and Sanchez made the list. But he's not simply a top-50 player; Sanchez earned a very high ranking that Phillies fans will love to see, as the beloved lefty is the sixth-ranked player in MLB according to ESPN.
Cristopher Sanchez ranked as No. 6 player in MLB by ESPN
"6. Cristopher Sanchez, SP, Philadelphia Phillies. He leads all pitchers in WAR (6.6) after doing the same last year (8.1), and he had a 50 2/3 scoreless innings streak in May -- which was the longest by a left-hander," Tristan Cockroft writes.
Sanchez is ranked by ESPN as the sixth-best player in baseball, and that's even with some recent struggles for the All-Star left-hander.
This season, he has a 2.54 ERA with a 15-4 record and 6.6 bWAR in 25 starts with one complete-game shutout, 181 strikeouts, and a 177 ERA+ in 155.2 innings pitched.
Sanchez has been incredible for the Phillies this season and is deserving of this No. 6 ranking from ESPN. There is only one problem for Sanchez: the Cy Young race.
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Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers is the clear frontrunner, and he would need a lot to go wrong to lose the NL Cy Young Award this season.
Sanchez might be the NL Cy Young runner-up for the second straight season, though the race isn't over yet. But even if he's No. 2 in the Cy Young hunt, he's still a top-tier starter who Phillies fans should be ecstatic to have on their team.
ESPN calls Sanchez the No. 6 player in baseball, which is the No. 2 pitcher in the sport, and the highest-ranked Phillies player on this list.
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