Aug 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher
MLB Network is in the midst of unveiling their best players at each position "right now," and Phillies fans will like how this year's iteration of the starting pitchers list came out.
Despite not yet having an NL Cy Young Award on his resume, Zack Wheeler has probably been the best pitcher in baseball since joining the Phillies in 2020. This year's list reflects that:
The best starters in the Big Leagues, according to The Shredder!@MLBNow | #Top10RightNow pic.twitter.com/GyWOyGEyIY
"He's a monster, he's a force on the mound and we saw it again."
Zack Wheeler nabbed the top spot on the #Top10RightNow for the first time in his career! pic.twitter.com/dO6NJsyq4f
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 15, 2025
Wheeler is up from No. 6 on the countdown a year ago, after he went 16-7 with a 2.57 ERA, 3.13 FIP and NL-best 0.955 WHIP across 200 innings. He finished runner-up to Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves in the NL Cy Young Award race, although Sale comes in at No. 3 on this list likely because he had a slew of injury-riddled campaigns prior to revitalizing his career a year ago.
Once upon a time, there were concerns about Wheeler's durability, which almost feels laughable now given how reliable he was over the lifetime of the five-year/$118 million deal he signed in free agency to join the Phillies prior to the 2020 season. Between 2020 and 2024, Wheeler logged 829 1/3 innings, second in baseball only to his teammate Aaron Nola. Over that period, Wheeler's 24.7 WAR was tops among all starting pitchers, with the next closest being Corbin Burnes — the man who edged him out in 2021 NL Cy Young Award voting — at 21.7.
It took Wheeler until his age-32 season to get an opportunity to pitch in the postseason, but he's made up for lost time over the last three Octobers. Though the Phillies' bullpen would later blow it, Wheeler was excellent in Game 1 of the 2024 NLCS against the New York Mets, working around four walks by allowing just one hit and striking out nine batters over seven shutout innings. He's got a 2.18 ERA and minuscule 0.73 WHIP in 70 1/3 career postseason innings.
Wisely, the Phillies made sure to extend Wheeler prior to his contract year of 2024, inking him to a three-year/$126 million contract extension last March. As he prepares for his age-35 campaign, it's unclear how many more years Wheeler will be able to maintain this level of performance, but there's little doubt he deserves the top spot on this year's countdown.
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