Philadelphia Phillies Ace Showing Cy Young Form in Spring Training Debut

The Philadelphia Phillies have put together arguably the best starting rotation in baseball entering the 2025 season.

Their trade for Jesus Luzardo provides them with a high-upside No. 5 option with star prospect Andrew Painter waiting in the wings. All-Stars Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez are ahead of him in the pecking order with the ever reliable Aaron Nola as the No. 2.

Zack Wheeler, one of baseball's most consistent pitchers over the last few years, anchors this staff as the ace.

Since coming over to the Phillies from the New York Mets ahead of the 2020 campaign, he has been a star. His performance has been taken to the next level, earning two All-Star appearances and finishing second in the Cy Young Award race twice.

At 34 years old, he showed no signs of slowing down, putting together one of the most productive campaigns of his career.

Had it not been for the career renaissance of Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves, he assuredly would have won his first Cy Young Award.

He made 32 starts, going 16-7 with a 2.57 ERA across 200 innings with 224 strikeouts. Wheeler led the National League with a 0.955 WHIP and 6.3 H/9. His WAR of 6.1 was the second highest in a single season of his career.

As the case has been throughout his entire career, the two-time All-Star excelled at limiting hard and damaging contact. Opponents had a slugging percentage of only .328, an average exit velocity of 86.2 mph and hard hit rate of 33.7%, all well below the league average.

What could Wheeler have planned for an encore in 2025?

If his spring training debut against the New York Yankees was an indication of things to come, it will be more dominance.

It wasn’t the Opening Day lineup for the Bronx Bombers, but Wheeler made quick work of everyone he faced. He worked two efficient innings, allowing only one hit and striking out four.

As shared by Pitch Profiler on X, his fastball remains an elite pitch with a proStuff+ 121, as he is in midseason form with his four-seamer.

Some of his other offerings aren’t up to speed yet, but Wheeler was tagged with using a six-pitch arsenal; throwing a splitter, cutter, sinker, curveball and sweeper in the outing.