Only one Phillies player good enough to make The Athletic's All-Division Series Team
Zack Wheeler deserves the recognition for again proving to be a top starting pitcher in the postseason.
Few things went right for the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS against the sixth-seed New York Mets. Their multi-faceted approach that delivered them back-to-back NLCS appearances fell flat at the worst possible time.
Bryce Harper had his moment in Game 2, along with Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott contributing in big ways. For the most part, that was it for their shortened playoff run. The one player who did not flame out unequivocally was their trusted ace, Zack Wheeler.
Zack Wheeler was the only Phillies player good enough to make the All-Division Series Team
It's almost hard to believe just two years prior, Wheeler was showing out in the playoffs as a solid No. 2 starter in the rotation doing his best to support his club. Fast forward to now, you don't see Wheeler as anything else besides the ace of the staff. Wheeler not only became the ace of the staff but turned into one of the best free-agent signings of the decade. He also developed into one of the best postseason pitchers of all time.
Wheeler was only able to get one crack at the playoffs in 2024, but Chad Jennings of The Athletic recognized his greatness, naming him to the All-Division Series Team. Wheeler was one of the best performers (subscription required) in the Division Series with his lone Game 1 NLDS start, going seven innings, allowing one hit, four walks and nine strikeouts. Wheeler topped off his stellar outing with 111 pitches.
The Phillies went on to lose that game by a staggering 6-2 defeat and showed again the importance of a pitcher like Wheeler. He has been everything the Phillies had hoped for and just turned in the best season of his career in 2024 with a 16-7 record, 2.57 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 224 strikeouts in 200 innings.
As a Phillie, he is 59-32 with a 2.94 ERA in five seasons. He was the runner-up for the Cy Young in 2021 and very well may finish right behind the Atlanta Braves' Chris Sale for the NL Cy Young in 2024.
As for his postseason resume, he still remains the all-time leader in WHIP in postseason history with a minimum of 50 innings pitched with a 0.73 mark — a staggering number that even leads postseason legend Mariano Rivera's 0.76 WHIP.
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