The Ultimate Ace! Phillies Pitcher Proves Unbeatable in Starting Rotation

The strength of the Philadelphia Phillies team as they prepare for the 2025 season is their starting rotation.

Their addition of Jesus Luzardo in an offseason trade with the Miami Marlins gives them arguably the best five-man rotation in baseball. At some point in the summer, it will become six whenever star prospect Andrew Painter gets the call.

Atop the rotation is Zack Wheeler, who finished as the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award in 2024 to Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves.

While he may not have finished ahead in that race, the Phillies ace has an edge over Sale and every other starting pitcher in baseball in one regard.

Buster Olney of ESPN has picked Wheeler as the No. 1 starting pitcher in baseball in his recent positional rankings.

“He got four of 30 first-place votes and 25 second-place votes in finishing behind Sale for the Cy Young, the second time in his career he’s been the runner-up for the award. He has made 122 starts over the past four seasons, and in that span, he has a 2.92 ERA, while averaging more than six innings per start, with an ERA+ of 141,” Olney wrote.

Philadelphia’s anchor has earned the top spot with his consistently stellar performances on the mound.

Despite being 34 years old, Wheeler looks like he is still getting better each season.

In 2024, opponents had a batting average of only .192 against him, recording only 139 hits in 200 innings pitched. He recorded 224 strikeouts, as his 10.1 K/9 was the second-highest in a single campaign of his career.

Wheeler meticulously works with pitching coach Caleb Cotham between starts, putting together a game plan and pitch sequences for the next time he is on the mound.

Part of that process is also pitch tinkering, as he is always looking to create an edge, whether it is with a different grip, arm angle or shape of the pitch.

In 2024, it was his sinker he had newfound success with.

“He just got even more strategic on who to use it against, when to use it,” Cotham said, “and he got better with getting it to his glove side for a ball-to-strike pitch.”

Wheeler has a great working relationship with Cotham and starting catcher J.T. Realmuto.

Rarely does he shake off signs during a game, following his catcher’s lead and going with whatever pitch he calls for.

The Phillies are going to need more of that in 2025 as they look to hold off the New York Mets and Braves in the NL East and chase down the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.