No. 1: Zack Wheeler
It should come as no surprise that Zack Wheeler comes in at No. 1 on this power rankings list. Not only has Wheeler been the best and most consistent pitcher for the Phillies, but he has also been, one of, if not the best, starting pitchers in all of baseball.
As we enter the last few games of the season, Wheeler has started 31 games and has a 2.56 ERA with a league-low 0.96 WHIP. He's second among pitchers in the NL in fWAR at 5.2 and is, again, in the conversation for the NL Cy Young Award.
In his last five starts, he has registered a 1.64 ERA and is holding opponents to a batting average of just .175. He has been the definition of stability for the Phillies in 2024.
According to Baseball Savant, he is in the 90th percentile or better in xERA, xBA, average exit velocity, chase rate, and extension. He is in the 83rd percentile in strikeout rate and the 86th percentile in hard-hit rate.
And the 34-year-old right-hander doesn’t slow down when the lights are at their brightest. In the playoffs over the last two years, he has pitched to a 2.42 ERA over 63 1/3 innings. He has appeared in 11 playoff games with 10 starts and one relief appearance.
The Phillies are going to rely heavily on their bonafide ace, and there is no reason to believe he won’t deliver like he has time and time again.