Inside The Phillies

Does Philadelphia Phillies Ace Deserve NL Cy Young Award Over Braves Star?

Zack Wheeler and Chris Sale are the two frontrunners for the NL Cy Young Award.

Tyler Maher

Sep 17, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws a pitch.
Sep 17, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws a pitch. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
In this story:

The NL Cy Young Award won't be announced until November, but the Philadelphia Phillies have already started campaigning for Zack Wheeler.

On Sunday, the team's communications department posted Wheeler's resume to its @PhilliesNotes social media account, making a compelling argument for why the 34-year-old deserves his first Cy Young trophy.

Wheeler's stats speak for themselves. In 200 innings, he went 16-7 with a 2.57 ERA, 224 strikeouts and 6.0 WAR. He also led the National League in numerous pitching categories, including WHIP (0.95), quality starts (26) and opponent batting average (.192).

The two-time All-Star was remarkably durable and consistent, going at least six innings in 26 of his 32 starts. He frequently saved the Phillies' bullpen, as only two of his starts lasted fewer than five innings.

Wheeler also pitched better as the season progressed, dominating down the stretch to help Philadelphia win its first division title since 2011. In August and September combined, he was 6-2 with a 1.89 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, a .186 opponent batting average and an 85:12 K/BB ratio over his final 11 starts.

The resume was full of interesting facts and statistics from Wheeler's campaign, including his strong performance against the NL East, after Phillies losses and more.

Unfortunately for Wheeler, it's going to be tough for him to overcome Chris Sale, who was just a little better this year.

The 35-year-old lefty flourished in his first season with the Atlanta Braves after being traded from the Boston Red Sox, pacing the NL in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225) to win the pitching Triple Crown (Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers won the AL version).

Sale also led the Major Leagues in FIP (2.09) and strikeout rate (11.4 K/9), proving to be a bit more dominant than Wheeler despite throwing 22 1/3 fewer innings.

Neither pitcher has ever won a Cy Young award, but Sale was a hair more deserving than Wheeler this year. There's no shame in finishing runner-up, however, especially to one of the best pitchers of his generation.

Published
Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

Home/News