Where in the world would the Philadelphia Phillies be without Zack Wheeler? The 35-year-old veteran hurler has become easily one of the best free agent signings in franchise history, right up there with teammate Bryce Harper. His total numbers with the Phillies are out of this world, with a 2.85 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and over 100 more strikeouts than innings pitched.
His Baseball Reference page is a beautiful sight, littered with bold numbers indicating he's no stranger to posting league-leading stats. It's pretty rare that you see a storied pitcher who's regularly atop his league like that never win a Cy Young. Wheeler has finally gained well-earned respect thanks to the best start of his 11-year career, with it feeling like he'll finally capture the elusive award.
MLB finally seeing Zack Wheeler as legit Cy Young contender Phillies fans have watched for years
Let's dive into Wheeler's stats thus far in 2025. His 4.8 bWAR, 148 strikeouts, and 0.84 WHIP are among his league-leading numbers. He also happens to lead all of baseball in hits per nine, strikeouts per nine, and is tied for the NL lead with one complete game. That came in Wheeler's near-perfect last start against the Cincinnati Reds, which was his most masterful in a Phillies uniform.
The Wheel deal@PALottery x #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/EyhSXYF50p
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 6, 2025
It's those insane numbers that have garnered Wheeler some national respect in the Cy Young race. In Jason Foster's mid-season Cy Young poll for MLB.com, Wheeler leads the National League race, with 27 first-place votes. The Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes got 19 first-place votes and is the only serious competitor to Wheeler at the moment.
Skenes was actually the leading vote-getter for the National League in MLB.com's last edition of the Cy Young poll, but has fallen below Wheeler thanks to his unreal month of June. It was Wheeler's 0.58 ERA and 0.87 WHIP that won him National League Pitcher of the Month honors.
It's a beautiful sight that Wheeler is getting Cy Young love, as that wasn't always the case this year, believe it or not. Wheeler previously finished second in the Cy Young race twice as a Phillie, to Corbin Burnes in 2021 and Chris Sale last season. As long as he keeps pitching at this level for the final few months, Wheeler could strengthen his Hall of Fame case with a Cy Young.