Three Phillies are ready to emerge as baseball’s best and brightest
When MLB.com’s “Top 100 players” article was released, it was revealed that the Phillies would have three players on the list: Bryce Harper (33), Aaron Nola (81), and JT Realmuto (41).
Obviously, the team would probably prefer it if they had just a few more names crack that list.
Ignoring the guys who are already members of the exclusive club, here are three current Phillies who could be primed to also be labeled a top 100 player in baseball next year.
Zack Wheeler
Since Zack Wheeler inked his 5-year/$118 million dollar contract with the Phillies this offseason, the hype surrounding the hard throwing right-hander has been real. Entering just his sixth season as a major league starter, Wheeler has yet to put together a complete “ace-like” year. However, with a new team and an upgraded coaching staff, he could find his way onto the coveted MLB Top 100 list.
Wheeler relies heavily on his velocity when it comes to his pitching style, utilizing his four-seam fastball 61.6% of the team. Posting a career high average throwing speed of 96.7mph last year, along with a good amount of movement on the pitch, it’s clear why Wheeler loves using his fastball both early and late in counts.
Wheeler’s curve, slider, and change are all thrown pretty hard too, and his rarely thrown splitter may come into play more this season considering new Phillies’ pitching coach Bryan Price is known for his splitter work.
The Phillies have really struggled to find any consistency in their rotation over the last couple years, hence why they were so quick to snag the former Mets pitcher this offseason. Rotating through guys like Jerad Eickhoff, Drew Smyly, and Jason Vargas in 2019 ultimately was one of the team’s major downfalls.
This means that Joe Girardi and the Phillies will lean heavily on “Wheels” this year, running him as the team’s sole “#2” behind ace Aaron Nola. A spot which may even get some extra starts down the stretch into September. In theory, this should lead to more wins, more strikeouts, and ideally a lower ERA for Wheeler when it’s all said and done.
It’s hard to find many pitchers at the top of MLB’s rankings for 2020, however, considering guys like Charlie Morton, Hyun Jin-Ryu, and Jack Flaherty all went from being “unranked” to among the league’s top 55, it’s not unheard of for a player to crack the MLB’s list on the back of just one solid year.