The Philadelphia Phillies are poised to make history with their starting pitching rotation in the 2025 season. Heading into the offseason, the team’s main objective was to bolster their pitching staff. This decision might have seemed unnecessary, considering the already impressive talent they had on the mound. Zack Wheeler, who finished as the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award in 2024, was an All-Star, as were Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez. Meanwhile, Aaron Nola, the Phillies’ reliable No. 2 starter, is known for his consistency and durability. Nola rarely misses a start, making him one of the most dependable pitchers in the game.
Despite this strength, the Phillies recognized a gap in their rotation: they needed a reliable No. 5 starter after Taijuan Walker’s struggles throughout the previous season. To address this, the Phillies made a significant move by acquiring Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins in a trade during the winter. Luzardo is regarded as one of the most promising pitchers in baseball, and his potential at the No. 5 spot in the rotation is unmatched by other pitchers in a similar position.
Walker, despite his challenges, remains an important depth piece in the rotation, and with star prospect Andrew Painter on the verge of making his Major League debut, the Phillies’ pitching staff looks set to dominate the league in 2025. ESPN’s Tristan Cockcroft shared a bold prediction about the team’s rotation, stating that it will make history in the upcoming season. According to Cockcroft, the Phillies’ starting pitchers will achieve an unprecedented feat by finishing in the top three spots for the Cy Young Award voting.
While there have been instances in baseball history where teammates have finished first and second in Cy Young voting, such as in 1974 when the Los Angeles Dodgers had three of the top four vote-getters, no team has ever had their pitchers sweep the top three spots. Cockcroft predicts that in 2025, this will change, with Wheeler winning the Cy Young, Sanchez finishing in second place, and Nola coming in third.
Cockcroft’s prediction goes further, suggesting that Luzardo, who has had an impressive start to the season, could also receive some Cy Young recognition if he remains healthy throughout the year. Given the immense talent within the Phillies’ rotation, the possibility of all their pitchers competing for the top honors in baseball is more realistic than ever.
The combination of Wheeler’s excellence, Sanchez’s breakthrough potential, Nola’s reliability, and Luzardo’s upside, along with the depth provided by Walker and the eventual debut of Painter, makes the Phillies’ pitching staff one of the most formidable in baseball. If these predictions hold true, the 2025 season could mark a historic moment for the Phillies and their rotation, setting a new standard in Major League Baseball for pitching excellence.
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