The Philadelphia Phillies have a handful of the top players in MLB.
With pitchers and catchers reporting next month and spring training games beginning soon after, now is the perfect time to preview teams and players heading into the 2026 season. That’s exactly what MLB Network is doing as they count down the top-100 players in MLB.
To no one's surprise, the Philadelphia Phillies have plenty of representation on this list. Here is who has made the rankings so far:
- Trea Turner - No. 25
- Cristopher Sanchez - No. 29
- Bryce Harper - No. 32
- Zack Wheeler - No. 51
One of the big debates is that Sanchez finished one spot higher than Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown, but Steve Phillips cites Sanchez's unique ability to get strikeouts and groundouts as one reason the Phillies pitcher finished higher.
“There are ground ball pitchers, [and] there are swinging miss pitchers,” said Phillips. ”He's both. So when he's in a jam, he can go for the strikeout; you get a man on base, he goes for the double play. He keeps it in the ballpark, gives the team a chance to win every single time. I love this guy.”
Oct 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) reacts after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (not pictured) in the fifth inning during game one of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesAnother point of debate all offseason is whether or not Harper is still elite. Being considered one of the top 32-players in a sport with 780 active players at a time certainly feels elite. That said, Harper was No. 12 in 2025, No. 11 in 2024, and No. 17 in 2023, so he has started to slightly decline.
Phillips believes Harper needs to get back to that level; he must really focus on his body at this point in his career.
“I think he plays dinged up a lot. He goes out there and grinds it out a lot, but that affects him overall,” explained the analyst. “The healthier he can stay, the more elite he can perform. I think he still has it in him.”
Having at least four of the top-100 pitchers in baseball is obviously impressive, and the Phillies should at least have one more player as the countdown continues, with Kyle Schwarber not yet appearing on their ranking.
The big question of all of this, though, is this team with likely five of the top-100 players in MLB good enough to win a World Series in 2026?
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