As the regular season wound to a close, Jim Bowden of The Athletic named the top 20 MLB breakout players from the 2025 season (subscription required). A member of the Philadelphia Phillies happens to find himself on the distinguished list. That player is none other than starting rotation stalwart Cristopher Sánchez.
Outside of Philadelphia, Sánchez doesn’t garner as much media attention as one would expect. For someone suddenly putting up stellar numbers in his 2025 campaign, there’s no question it would appear to be a breakout season for such a player. However, for the Phillies and their beloved fans who have followed Sánchez's path and his success so far in the league, his exceptional performance this year certainly comes as no surprise.