The 2025 Philadelphia Phillies aim to do what the hometown Eagles did – dominate the playoffs and finish as world champions.
Despite the heartbreaking loss to the rival New York Mets last October, The Fightins remain a favorite to win the National League East and challenge the star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees and other top clubs for a World Series title.
As Opening Day approaches, let’s get familiar with seven Latino ballplayers to watch this season:
Gabriel Rincones, Jr.
This son of a Venezuelan former minor league pitcher has a unique journey to pro baseball. Living in Venezuela and Scotland as a child, he moved to Florida as a teenager to play baseball. He finally made his high school team his junior year and then played baseball in college. Today, he is a Phillies top prospect who has hit three homeruns this spring training. Rincones, Jr. is expected to play in Reading or in Allentown this summer, but if a Phillies outfielder gets hurt, Rincones, Jr’s lefthanded power bat might end up in South Philly at some point this season.
Rafael Marchán
This native of San Cristobal, Venezuela has a great opportunity to stay in the big leagues this year. Marchán looked good during his brief time with the Phillies last season, but he has suffered injuries for most of his professional career. Some say he is more talented than current Phillies backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, but Marchán, who is 26 years old, has to prove he can hit in the majors – and, most importantly, stay healthy – to make the Phillies roster.
José Alvarado
If Alvarado throws strikes, he is awesome. He throws 100 mph on good days. However, if he doesn’t throw strikes, Alvarado worries Phillies fans. So far this spring, the reliever from Maracaibo, Venezuela looks great.
“Alvarado is a confidence guy,” said Ruben Amaro, Jr., former Phillies general manager and player, on The Phillies Showpodcast last month. “If he has the confidence on that mound, to be able to throw his pitches where he wants to consistently, he can be one of the nastiest left-handers in all of baseball.”
Edmundo Sosa
Phillies fans certainly appreciate the proud nation of Panama for producing Phillies legend Carlos Ruiz and now Sosa, who was a big contributor in 2024. Sosa played a stellar shortstop when Trea Turner was injured and played second base and third base when needed. This spring, Sosa has been playing the outfield. If he can play a decent center field or left field, Sosa will play even more, especially since he hits righthanded. The Phillies lineup sports a lot of left-handed hitters.
Ranger Suarez
Early on in 2024, this fearless, strike-throwing lefty pitched like Fernando Valenzuela. He may have been the best lefthanded starting pitcher in MLB before July. However, he wasn’t as strong by the end of the season. Suarez may never pitch as many innings as aces Zack Wheeler or Aaron Nola do in a season, but he can be really good if he stays strong. Suarez hasn’t thrown as hard as normal this spring training, but Ranger doesn’t need to throw hard to be effective.
Nick Castellanos
This son of a Hialeah, FL physician can be frustrating to Phillies fans. He is not a patient hitter like Kyle Schwarber or Bryce Harper. He can be blunt speaking to the media, saying things fans don’t always understand. But Castellanos plays every day and is a right-handed hitting threat in this left-handed-heavy lineup. He also batted .412 and drove in three runs in that disappointing 2024 playoff series vs. the Mets. Castellanos is probably as crucial to this team as his father is to his heart patients.
Cristopher Sánchez
The Dominican Sánchez was a revelation in 2024. He pitched so well he was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game and signed a multi-year contract during the season. When his fastball and changeup are working, he is as good as any all-star level starting pitcher. Intriguingly, Sanchez has thrown even harder this spring, so he could be a big reason why the Phillies prove to be a World Series contender.
Michael Collazo is CEO of Dahday, LLC, a ticket brokerage. He worked in pro baseball with the Newark Bears, formerly of the independent Atlantic League, from 2008 to 2023.
