Zack Wheeler, the standout pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, is already on the shortlist of players being considered for the National League Cy Young Award before the baseball season has even begun. Now, setting aside the exaggerated lead, Wheeler is the pre-season favorite to win the trophy, per a list released by MLB.com.
Wheeler came in third in the National League behind San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb (2) and Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider (1) in MLB.com’s Cy Young favorites and sleepers for 2024. Wheeler’s presence high on this list is a result to his dominance over the last two seasons, as he finished sixth in the Cy Young vote in 2023.
Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com went into considerable depth to explain why Zack Wheeler is worthy of being ranked third on the list.
“Wheeler’s good-not-great 3.61 ERA cost him a chance at a better finish in the NL Cy Young voting last season,” according to Harrigan. But by many measures, he was among the finest pitchers in the league.
“The right-hander finished third in WHIP (1.08), fourth in K’s (212), and second in the NL in K/BB ratio (5.44). Additionally, he led all Major League pitchers in FanGraphs’ FIP-based WAR (5.9), which replaces ERA with FIP. Since agreeing to a five-year, $115 million contract with the Phillies following the 2019 season, Wheeler has become a true ace. The hardware is the only thing lacking.”Is Zack Wheeler going to take home a Cy Young this year? Of course, regularity,
Whether the Phillies will sign Zack Wheeler to a long-term deal is one of the main plot points going into spring training. At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the 33-year-old star will become a free agency, and over the summer, there have been persistent murmurs of interest from both the organization and the player.
Ken Rosenthal mentioned a Zack Wheeler extension during an interview with the podcast Foul Territory. This was the most recent talk regarding the player. Rosenthal thinks the Phillies intend to do this during spring training.
Watching Zack Wheeler’s extension is officially underway as spring training gets begin. If Wheeler’s pay and contract term can be worked out between the team and player, locking him up should be a no-brainer. Fans of the Phillies are hopeful this
With spring training now underway, the Zack Wheeler extension watch is on. Locking up Wheeler for figures to be a no-brainer if the team and player can agree on salary and length of contract. Phillies fans are hoping this gets done.
