Philadelphia Phillies Ace Projected To Be Team's Top Overall Player

As the Philadelphia Phillies continue their pursuit of a World Series championship in 2025, their ace is projected to be the team's most valuable player in the coming season.

Oct 5, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the seventh inning in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are gearing up for the 2025 season, and the team's sights are set on another run at that elusive World Series championship.

Dave Dombrowski has assembled an impressive core of veterans that has gotten close, but has fallen agonizingly short each year, losing in the World Series in 2022, the NLCS in 2023 and, in a competitive NLDS, losing against the New York Mets in 2024.

Among the team's core group, no player has exceeded their respective expectations more than ace Zack Wheeler, who has established himself as one of the game's elite pitchers since joining the Phillies on a five-year, $118 million pact ahead of the 2020 season that he parlayed into a three-year, $126 million extension that kicks in this yer.

On Monday, MLB.com published an article breaking down each team's projected leaders in wins above replacement according to the Steamer and ZiPs projection systems available on Fangraphs. It should come as no surprise that Wheeler is the predicted leader for Philadelphia at 4.8.

"No list of baseball’s top arms is complete without Wheeler, who has posted a 2.94 ERA with 899 strikeouts and 24.7 WAR (the most among pitchers) over five seasons with the Phillies," Thomas Harrigan wrote. "Coming off a second-place finish in the 2024 NL Cy Young Award voting, the 34-year-old has MLB’s highest projected innings total (202) and is tied with Paul Skenes for second in projected pitching WAR entering the upcoming campaign."

Wheeler reached a new level with the Phillies, and his performance made the new, more expensive price tag for his services a no-brainer for the club.

Beyond his regular season dominance, Wheeler has been both reliable and outstanding on the team's playoff runs in recent years.

In 12 playoff appearances in three seasons with the club, Wheeler has posted a 2.18 ERA while striking out 77 batters in 70.1 innings pitched. He faltered in the 2022 World Series against the Houston Astros, but aside from that, there is little question that he has been the game's best postseason hurler over the past few years.

While Wheeler looks to be the top dog for the Phillies this year, he will have more help than ever behind him in this year's starting rotation. In addition to mainstays Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez, the organization made the move to add Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins in a major trade.

Outside of the embarrassment of riches currently comprising the rotation for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's difficult to argue any other team other than the Phillies as having the next best stable of starters in the sport. That's due not only to the depth but also to the dominance that Wheeler offers at the very top of the staff.

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