Zack Wheeler finishes as Cy Young runner up

So close yet again.

For the second time in four seasons, Phillies ace Zack Wheeler has finished second in the voting for the National League Cy Young Award. Wheeler fell short of the Braves Chris Sale in voting this year after narrowly losing to Corbin Burnes in 2021. He did finish ahead of Pirates phenom Paul Skenes who took home Rookie of the Year honors.

Despite once again missing out on capturing his first Cy Young Award, Wheeler was nothing short of brilliant for the Phillies in 2024. He led the NL in innings pitched (200), quality starts (26), WHIP (0.96), and opponent’s batting average (.191). Wheeler was second to Sale in ERA (2.57), fWAR (5.4), wins (16), and strikeouts (224). Unlike Sale, who was injured for Atlanta’s Wild Card series appearance, Wheeler continued his dominance to the postseason. He threw 7 innings of one hit ball with 9 strikeouts in his Game 1 start in the NLDS, a game the Phillies ultimately lost after he exited.

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In five seasons with the Phillies, Wheeler is 59-32 with an ERA of 2.94. Wheeler is one of five pitchers with at least 800 IP since 2020, and his 829.1 IP are the second most in the Majors behind teammate Aaron Nola’s 850. His 2.94 ERA and 1.03 WHIP are both second among those five behind Burnes.

Wheeler would have been a free agent this winter on his original free agent contract, but he agreed to a $126M extension before 2024 that will take him through his age 37 season in 2027. He has already made a strong case for the greatest free agent signing in Phillies history and is on his way to being among the franchise’s best pitchers.