Not only did Philadelphia Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez miss out on an All-Star spot and finish as the National League Cy Young runner-up, but he was also surprisingly left off the First Team pitching staff when the All-MLB Teams were revealed on Thursday.
In what has become a pattern of snubs for Sánchez, he landed on the All-MLB Second Team along with Kyle Schwarber and Zack Wheeler. At the very least, he can take comfort in knowing the Phillies valued the durable, ace-like workload he carried, especially after Wheeler went down.
The toughest part of Sánchez being excluded from the First Team was who earned a spot ahead of him.
Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez snubbed from All-MLB First Team for … Max Fried?
Most of the All-MLB First Team selections are more than deserving. Still, one name immediately raised eyebrows for Phillies fans: New York Yankees lefty Max Fried.
Fried is a top-tier starter, but when you stack their 2025 seasons side by side, the only category where he holds an edge over Sánchez is win total. Fried finished 19-5 while Sánchez went 13-5, but that contrast says more about the Phillies’ unreliable bullpen than it does about Sánchez himself.
Across the rest of the numbers, Sánchez clearly outperformed him. Both made 32 starts, but Sánchez logged more innings (202 compared to 195 and a third), punched out more hitters (212 to 189) with a stronger strikeout rate (26.3 percent to 23.6 percent), issued fewer walks (44 to 51) with a lower walk rate (5.5 percent to 6.4 percent), and posted a sharper ERA (2.50 to 2.86).
Sánchez also delivered far more value, finishing with 8.0 bWAR, the highest mark among pitchers and second only to Aaron Judge across MLB. Fried did not even crack the top ten, ending at 4.4 bWAR.
Cristopher Sánchez’s All-MLB Team snub not the first instance this season
If you need a refresher, Sánchez had already been overlooked when his All-Star invite essentially vanished into thin air. Sitting at 7-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 116 strikeouts at the break, he looked like a lock to make his second straight All-Star appearance. He was not even selected as the next alternate once Wheeler withdrew.
He eventually received an offer to join the National League squad, but with his rotation schedule in mind, Sánchez declined. The Phillies still paid out his All-Star bonus, and he used the extra rest to maintain his momentum heading into the stretch run with the Cy Young and other honors in sight.
Phillies pitchers are sadly used to this type of treatment. Sánchez is now the second Philadelphia arm to finish second in the Cy Young voting over the past five seasons, with Wheeler claiming runner-up honors in 2021 and 2024. The lack of recognition for the club’s elite pitching staff is becoming hard to ignore.
Seeing Sánchez and Wheeler side by side on the All-MLB Second Team is still meaningful, and that connection will likely continue until Wheeler retires. But with Sánchez stepping up as the team’s unquestioned ace this year, this latest slight feels like just another mark he will use as motivation as he continues to establish himself among the league’s top pitchers.