No matter how good or well-established a player is, it's never too late to stop getting better.
That's the mentality that Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is bringing to Spring Training this year.
The 33-year-old righty has already made an All-Star team, won a Gold Glove and pitched in the World Series. He also just signed a three-year, $126 million extension to stay with the Phillies.
Fortunately, Philadelphia fans don't have to worry about Wheeler getting complacent. He's trying to add a new pitch to his arsenal to become even more dominant on the mound, and he showed it off at Spring Training on Tuesday.
Wheeler is working on a new splitter, which he threw twice on Tuesday. One produced its desired effect -- a whiff -- but the other did not, rolling to the backstop as the catcher was unable to corral it.
Based on the mixed results, the pitch is still a work in progress. Wheeler's new splitter has potential, but he needs to hone his command of it first before he can start using it regularly in games.
Wheeler explained that he hopes the new pitch will help him against left-handed batters, who slashed .261/.310/.412 against him last year. By comparison, righties were far less effective, batting just .194/.235/.313.
If the new pitch helps Wheeler improve against lefties, he believes it could elevate his game and help him win his first career NL Cy Young award. He's received votes in three of the last four seasons and finished runner-up to Corbin Burnes in 2021, but he's yet to take home the hardware.
If his splitter lives up to the hype, 2024 could finally be his year.
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