Mar 5, 2024; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the second inning at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Nathan Ray Seebeck
CLEARWATER — Zack Wheeler spoke Friday morning for the first time not only in Spring Training, but since he finished runner-up to Atlanta Braves' lefty Chris Sale in NL Cy Young Award voting.
"Yeah, I mean, I think Chris deserved it," Wheeler said. "I have no ill feelings towards anybody. But I think he deserved it — he had a really good season. So it was kind of hard to beat."
Wheeler put together what's become his typical blend of durability and dominance in 2024. He led the National League in both WHIP (0.955) and H/9 (6.3), while hitting the 200 innings pitched mark for the second time in his career.
The problem for Wheeler is that Sale led NL starters in wins (18), ERA (2.38), ERA+ (174), strikeouts (225), FIP (2.09), HR/9 (0.5), K/9 (11.4) and WAR (6.4), according to FanGraphs. Sale's 177 2/3 innings weren't as many as Wheeler, but the gap wasn't large enough to sway the race in Wheeler's direction given the amount of other categories Sale led.
In hindsight, Wheeler probably should have won the 2021 NL Cy Young Award over Corbin Burnes, who was then pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers. Burnes was dominant that year, but only logged 167 innings, as opposed to an MLB-best 213 1/3 from Wheeler.
But the reality is Wheeler hasn't gotten over the hump and won the NL Cy Young yet. He's been open about wanting to win it in the past, and nothing has changed entering 2025.
"That's a goal every year," Wheeler said succinctly.
Mick Abel, Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez are synchronized. @OnPattison pic.twitter.com/Xtzb1sMAkB
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) February 14, 2025
Wheeler was one of three All-Stars in the Phillies rotation last year, along with Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez. Aaron Nola is this era's most durable pitcher. And the Phillies added onto what was already one of the best starting rotations in baseball in December when they acquired Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins.
"It's nice," Wheeler said. "We've watched him in Miami the past few years and he's got a good arm. It's a welcome addition, and we'll see how it goes."
Luzardo will open the season as the No. 5 starter for the Phillies, but prior to an injury-plagued 2024 season, he posted a 3.48 ERA across 50 starts between 2022 and 2023. If the Phillies get that version of the lefty, they'll not only have baseball's best rotation, but one of the best in the modern history of the sport.
And that says nothing of No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter, who threw a bullpen session Friday. Painter isn't going as hard as some of the other pitchers right now because he's not going to be in the rotation to open the season. The Phillies are loosely targeting July as when the 21-year-old could be in play for them. Right now, they're preserving some of his bullets as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
Andrew Painter — who is wearing No. 76 — is currently throwing a bullpen. At 6-foot-7, he definitely has a presence on the mound. @OnPattison pic.twitter.com/HEhRwCmJSt
Wheeler underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2015 when he was playing for the New York Mets. He didn't return to an MLB mound until 2017, and wasn't really right again until 2018. He knows how difficult it is to rebound from Tommy John surgery, and said he's happy to see that Painter has made it out on the other side of things.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool to see," Wheeler said. "He had a really good fall out there in the Arizona league. And he looks good now just playing catch. So it's pretty cool to see other guys come through it and do well. Hopefully he can keep going in the right direction throughout the season."
There's been a lot of talk this offseason about the Phillies not having significantly improved their team from a year ago. But if Luzardo and Painter have the impact expected in 2025 and Wheeler continues what's been one of this era's great peaks, the rotation — already a strength — will be even better this year.
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