he widespread perception entering the 2025 season is that the Philadelphia Phillies feature as good a starting rotation as any team in Major League Baseball.
Recurring Cy Young contender Zack Wheeler was already back with the Phillies, leading a trio of previous All-Stars that featured Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, and Cristopher Sánchez. In order to assemble a staff capable of leading a club into playoff action, they brought in the gifted left-hander Jesús Luzardo over the summer.
As Andrew Painter continues his comeback from Tommy John surgery, it might make for a fairly enviable issue at some time throughout the season. Even while in-season injuries sometimes offer simple solutions to these problems, there is a chance that Philadelphia’s best prospect—and one of baseball’s most eagerly awaited young pitchers—will be vying for a position on the team.
ESPN.com writer David Schoenfield is expecting that very situation, and thankfully for Philadelphia, he has an idea.
The website’s 2025 season preview featured Schoenfield’s “one (realistic) bold prediction” for each of the 32 clubs. For the Phillies, Schoenfield anticipated that the five starting pitchers would all throw at least 162 innings, with each of them earning an ERA under 3.50. That would make the Philadelphia rotation the first to accomplish both milestones since the Chicago White Sox in 2006.
“And since we’re predicting good health,” Schoenfield said, “that means rookie Andrew Painter will be the closer in the postseason.”
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