Zack Wheeler Is Still One Of The best Pitchers In The League
Zack Wheeler recently had a major health scare. After experiencing soreness in his pitching shoulder for several weeks, a blood clot was discovered. They underwent a successful procedure to remove…
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 2: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the fifth inning during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park on April 2, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 5-1.
(Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)Zack Wheeler recently had a major health scare. After experiencing soreness in his pitching shoulder for several weeks, a blood clot was discovered. They underwent a successful procedure to remove that clot. Now he is seemingly on track to return by the end of April.
Will he look the same when he returns? We will have to wait in find out. But in case anyone forgot how good he is, here is your reminder.
Zack Wheeler is not just great. He is the best pitcher in the league since he joined the Phillies. That is not me wearing Phillies colored glasses. It is not being a homer. The facts back it up. Take his stats since 2020, put them up against any pitcher in baseball, and he comes out on top.
Zack Wheeler Vs Other Pitchers Since 2020
Only 3 pitchers in that time have a sub-3.0 ERA. Wheeler, Corbin Burnes, and Max Fried. Fried pitched about 120 fewer innings than Wheeler—almost an entire extra season for Wheeler.
FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) attempts to measure a pitcher's performance while taking outside factors out, i.e., ballpark factors, and the defense behind them. It is not a perfect stat, but it is something to consider. Wheeler has the lowest FIP since 2020.
What Wheeler undoubtedly has over Burnes and Fried, though, is postseason success. Wheeler's post-season ERA is 2.18 over 11 starts. Fried's post-season ERA is up over 5.0. Burnes is better than Fried, but he only started 3 games, 1 of which went poorly.
Two starters, Ian Anderson and teammate Ranger Suarez, have a better ERA with at least 1 start in the playoffs. But Wheeler has nearly twice the innings pitched as they do, despite only pitching 3 more games. The only other pitcher with 10 postseason starts and a sub-3.0 ERA over that time is Gerrit Cole. Cole's ERA is still .75 points higher than Wheeler's.
Wheeler is one of only 10 pitchers to throw for over 800 innings in that time. His 936.1 innings are the most since 2020. He, Nola, and Framber Valdez are the only pitchers to throw 800 in the regular season and at least 50 in the postseason.
Old School, New School, Both Tell The Same Story
Many people think wins are an outdated pitcher stat. But if you still value it, Wheeler has the 2nd most regular-season wins in that time (69) and is 13th in playoff wins (4).
Want something more new school? His 28.6 WAR not only leads all pitchers in that time, but only 6 hitters have a better WAR than him in that time. Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Jose Ramierez, Shohei Ohtani, Francisco Lindor, and Trea Turner.
Wheeler is also 2nd in strikeouts (1094), 8th in complete games (4), and the lowest WHIP (1.02).
All this while the BABIP against him is one of the highest in the league, meaning his defense actively hurts him. Not surprising when you consider he had Kyle Schwabrer in left for 2 seasons, Trea Turner at SS now for 2+ seasons, a grab bag of people in center, some of whom were not very good with the glove, Bohm at 3rd (though he has gotten better), and Rhys Hoskins at 1st for 3 seasons. Not to mention playing in a not-so-pitcher-friendly ballpark.
The Under-Hyped Super Star
The point is, Wheeler, by almost any metric, is the best pitcher of this decade so far. Since he joined the Phillies he is the most consistently dominant pitcher in the league. Not only in the regular season, but in the postseason too. You can use old-school stats, or new-school stats. They both tell the same story.
The Phillies have the best pitcher in the league. Yet we almost take it for granted. It is ho-hum for us. Jayson Stark even called him the most under-hyped Superstar of modern times in this town.
Looking at the stats, it is hard to argue with Stark. Maybe it is because the man himself is so understated. He does not make a fuss about himself. He goes out there and pitches, and that is really all we ever see of him.
Zack Wheeler Is The Best Pitcher Of This Era
Wheeler is a truly generational type of pitcher. Despite never winning a Cy Young, he is the best pitcher in the league over the past 5+ seasons. Whether you go by ERA, WHIP, WAR, Wins, Innings Pitched, or playoff performance, they all point to the same conclusion. Wheeler is not just good; he is not even just great. He is the best pitcher in the league since 2020.
There are a few young guys who have a strong case over him. Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. It is easy to see them being the best in baseball. But neither are as proven in the playoffs as Wheeler is.
Getting Wheeler back is a huge deal. The Phillies aren't just getting back a great pitcher; you could argue they are getting back the best pitcher in the game.
