Phillies' Pitchers Fantasy Baseball Preview | Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Jordan Romano, Ranger Suarez and More

It's time for another fantasy baseball team preview, this time on the Philadelphia Phillies. We'll look at the team's pitchers here, and then cover hitters in a separate story.

We've covered the Guardians (hitters and pitchers), Diamondbacks (hitters and pitchers), Angels (hitters and pitchers), Padres (hitters and pitchers), Tigers (hitters and pitchers), Marlins (hitters and pitchers), Blue Jays (hitters and pitchers), Brewers (hitters and pitchers), Astros (hitters and pitchers), Cubs (hitters and pitchers), Royals (hitters and pitchers), Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Rangers (hitters and pitchers) , Nationals (hitters and pitchers), Orioles (hitters and pitchers), Reds (hitters and pitchers), Red Sox (hitters and pitchers), Mets (hitters and pitchers), Twins (hitters and pitchers), Giants (hitters and pitchers), Athletics (hitters and pitchers), Pirates (hitters and pitchers), Mariners (hitters and pitchers), Rockies (hitters and pitchers), Rays (hitters and pitchers), Braves (hitters and pitchers) and White Sox (hitters and pitchers) already.

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Top Fantasy Pitchers

There's several Phillies' pitchers on the ADP list right now.

Zack Wheeler is the top option, going at pick 15.7 on average. Aaron Nola is next at pick 56.4. Cristopher Sanchez (147.2) is the last pitcher below pick 200 on average.

Wheeler is the third fantasy pitcher off draft boards, following Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes.

Wheeler has been durable, making 32 starts in three of the past four seasons. In 32 outings last year, he went 16-7 with a 2.57 earned run average and 224 punchouts over 200 innings.

He took second among fantasy pitchers in total points last season, and he wasn't too far behind Skubal. Getting him third is fine in my eyes, and he has the chance to challenge for the top spot again. Wheeler is a great first fantasy pitcher to take.

Nola rebounded from a bit of a down 2023 season over a 33-start 2024 campaign. He went 14-8 with a 3.57 ERA and 197 strikeouts over 199 1/3 innings.

He was the No. 11 overall fantasy starting pitcher in 2024 and is the 16th one off draft boards in 2025. I really like the draft value you are getting with Nola, and think he can outperform that draft pick even if he regresses a little bit. Getting him as a second fantasy starter is a great thing in my eyes.

Sanchez took a step forward in his fourth MLB season.

In 31 starts, he went 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA. Sanchez struck out 153 batters over 181 2/3 innings.

His strikeouts aren't on par with Nola or Wheeler, but he can eat innings, post a low ERA and rack up wins to be a good fantasy asset. Even if you see him regressing a bit this season (I don't), Sanchez is a good value pick, and a very low-risk pick at that. Getting him to round out for fantasy rotation should put you in a great position for the 2025 season.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo are expected to round out the five-man rotation.

Suarez started last season extremely hot, but faded down the stretch.

In 27 starts, he went 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA. Suarez struck out 145 batters over 150 2/3 innings.

Many fantasy owners are wondering if he will continue to pitch like he did at the end of last season, or improve on last year's marks. I think his ERA could regress, but a few more longer starts should at least make him as valuable as last season. He's a must-own pitcher in almost all deeper formats, while being a standard league streaming option right from the first regular season game he appears in.

Luzardo moved from the Marlins to the Phillies this offseason, which should already boost his fantasy value.

In 12 starts last season with Miami, Luzardo went 3-6 with a 5.00 ERA. He struck out 58 batters over 66 2/3 innings.

Luzardo is a deep-league option to start the season, but I'd keep close tabs on him in case the team can unlock his true potential. He has standard league keeper potential and has been that kind of pitcher in the past already.

Taijuan Walker is the projected long reliever, while Kyle Tyler, Joe Ross, Tanner Banks, Jose Ruiz, Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering are the other projected bullpen arms. Jordan Romano will open the season as the closer.

Romano appeared in 15 games for the Blue Jays in 2024, going 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA and 13 punchouts over 13 2/3 innings. He has a career 2.90 ERA and averages 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings, so I'm a bit confused why he isn't getting late-round standard league draft consideration.

The Phillies are going to win a bunch of games, and Romano should rack up plenty of saves. If he goes undrafted in your standard league, it might not take long for him to be scooped up.

If Romano struggles and loses the job, Kerkering and Alvarado would be the next ones up. Matt Strahm could also be a decent fantasy asset in deep leagues when he returns from an injury.

Top Prospects

Andrew Painter is the No. 8 prospect in baseball, and he's expected to debut in 2025.

Mick Abel, Jean Cabrera, Seth Johnson, Christian McGowan, Michael Mercado and Griff McGarry are other top-30 prospects with 2025 ETAs.

Painter has 109 2/3 minor league innings under his belt so far. He's posted a ridiculous 1.48 ERA to go along with 167 punchouts, 25 walks and a .181 average against him.

Abel struggled to a 6.46 ERA across 108 2/3 innings last season, but has a much better 4.78 career ERA in the minor leagues. In 375 total innings, he also has 445 strikeouts, 220 walks and a .227 average against him.

Cabrera has worked 287 minor league innings in his four-year career. He has a 3.76 ERA, 308 punchouts, 93 walks and a .266 average against him so far.

Johnson made one MLB start in 2024, covering 2 1/3 innings. In 243 2/3 career minor league innings, he has a 2.84 ERA, 275 strikeouts, 102 walks and a .231 average against him.

McGowan has 78 1/3 minor league innings under his belt. He also has a 4.48 ERA, 90 punchouts, 36 walks and a .253 average against him.

Mercado made two starts and five MLB appearances in 2025. He went 1-2 with a 11.08 ERA across 13 innings. In 376 1/3 minor league innings, Mercado has a 4.30 ERA, 407 punchouts, 149 strikeouts and a .242 average against him.

McGarry has worked 203 1/3 minor league innings so far. He has a 4.43 ERA, along with 296 strikeouts, 153 walks and a .182 average against him.

Moises Chace and Max Lazar are two more pitchers age 25 or under who are with the team this spring.

While the Phillies' staff might not boast the depth some other teams have, the team's top-end starters will carry the load. Only injuries could derail the starters from turning in some of the better stats over the course of the season.