Minus the exception of a few players, the Philadelphia Phillies look to be opening 2025 with the same core that they’ve had since 2022, providing fans with a sense of familiarity. They’ve been through some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows; from a World Series appearance to an early NLDS exit.
But if the Phillies want to avenge last season’s NLDS loss to the rival New York Mets and get back to the World Series, they’re going to need some production from players not named Bryce Harper or Zack Wheeler. Luckily for fans, we’ve already seen some players prove that they’re a perfect fit around the two franchise cornerstones.
3 Phillies players who already have our trust in 2025
Cristopher Sánchez
When the Phillies acquired him in November 2019, even they couldn’t have imagined this is what Cristopher Sánchez would turn into. After solving the No. 5 starter problem in 2023, Sánchez broke onto the scene with a stellar 2024 campaign, posting a 3.32 ERA with 153 strikeouts and just 44 walks in 181 2/3 innings.
As a result, he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career and earned Cy Young votes along the way, and there’s no reason to believe that Sánchez can’t replicate this in 2025. There have been rumors of the 28-year-old southpaw working on a new pitch, which would make him that much more dangerous to face, as he currently operates with just a three-pitch mix.
The new pitch could be the catalyst for Sánchez taking yet another step forward, which is something that he has done every year since he originally joined the major league club in 2021. Bouncing between the bullpen and rotation, Sánchez posted a 5.63 ERA in 2022, but then came back and posted a 3.44 ERA as a full-time starter in 2023 before his breakout campaign last year. A similar jump may be in the cards for the southpaw this season.
Bryson Stott
After a rough 2024, in which he hit just .245 with a .671 OPS, everybody seems to be in on a bounce-back season for Bryson Stott, and they should be. A lot of his offensive struggles last season can be linked to a lingering elbow injury, which affected his ability to drive the baseball.
Despite that, Stott was still able to produce for the team; although he wasn’t the same player we saw in 2023. He led the team in stolen bases with 32, and increased his walk rate by over three percentage points while maintaining a similar strikeout percentage. The only thing missing was his ability to fight off pitches and work the count, which he did so often the year prior when he hit .280 with a .747 OPS. That year, he ranked 17th in the entire league in pitches per plate appearance, but he fell down to 38th this past season.
The elbow injury didn’t plague Stott defensively either, as the 27-year-old second baseman was named a Gold Glove finalist for the second time in his career. When healthy, Stott is exactly what the Phillies need; a player who makes consistent contact and gets on-base, and with a full offseason of rest and recovery, we can expect to see the old Bryson Stott in 2025.
Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber has been everything that the Phillies had hoped he would be when he signed a four-year, $79 million deal in March 2022, if not more. Through his first three years with the team, the 31-year-old designated hitter has been one of the league’s best sluggers, totaling 131 home runs, the third most in MLB behind just Shohei Ohtani (132) and Aaron Judge (157).
His 46 home runs in 2022 was second-best in MLB and helped get him to his second career All-Star game and first career Silver Slugger award, and of course, we all remember the mammoth 488-foot home run he hit off Yu Darvish in Game 1 of the 2022 NLCS.
But Schwarber isn’t just home run or bust. In fact, his plate discipline may be one of the more impressive aspects of his game. His 20.9 chase rate ranks in the 93rd percentile of everyone in the league. He ranks third in MLB with 318 walks since 2022 and led the league last year with 106. We even saw his batting average creep up last year, jumping 50 points from .197 in 2023 to .248.
Sure, Schwarber isn’t the most conventional leadoff hitter, but the Phillies win with him there, and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t continue to work counts and hit bombs in 2025.
1 player who doesn’t have our trust in 2025
Brandon Marsh
Just like Stott, Brandon Marsh is one of the “secondary” pieces in a lineup that is bolstered by sluggers like Schwarber, Trea Turner, Harper and Nick Castellanos, who all besides Turner, strike out over 20 percent of the time. But they’re able to make up for it with the long ball, as each of those players recorded 20+ home runs last season.
Now consider Marsh, whose 154 strikeouts ranked second on the team, only behind Schwarber. Yet, Marsh had 216 fewer plate appearances than Schwarber but just 43 fewer strikeouts!
The Phillies have started to utilize Marsh in a platoon role against right-handers, which has worked for them. He hit .262 with a .792 OPS and 15 home runs against right-handers, but struck out 121 times in 386 plate appearances. His numbers against lefties are even worse, hitting just .192 with a .552 OPS and 33 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances.
To Marsh’s credit, he is a great defender, but the Phillies didn’t acquire him just for his defensive prowess. Swing-and-miss has plagued the Phillies for three years now, and you can’t afford to have one of your secondary pieces be a main catalyst for it.
