Phillies Ace Successfully Tweaks Arsenal to Remain Elite Late into Career

The Philadelphia Phillies came into the 2025 MLB regular season with a highly regarded starting rotation.

Many thought it was the best in baseball, and while there have been a few hiccups along the way, such as Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez both spending time on the injured list, the group has succeeded.

Anchoring the unit once again is Zack Wheeler, who was the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award in 2024 for the second time in his career.

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He is performing at an incredibly high level once again, placing himself right in the mix for the prestigious honor.

Despite a tough outing against the Atlanta Braves his last time out, when he was charged with six earned runs in only 5.1 innings of work, Wheeler’s overall production thus far in 2025 remains elite.

He has a 6-2 record with a 2.96 ERA across 76 innings with 94 strikeouts. That puts him on pace to record the highest K/9 of his career, currently with an 11.1, to go along with a strikeout rate of 32.1%, which would be a single-season career-high as well.

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A two-time All-Star, he is putting himself in a position to make the team a third time this year.

Now 35 years old, it is impressive to see how dominant Wheeler has remained.

Normally, players of his age begin to show some signs of slowing down, but that is not the case with him.

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A major reason for that is his ability to adapt and adjust his repertoire. Changes have been made and they are paying major dividends.

“He's still got really good velocity, and whenever that happens with one of his three fastballs, he's still got the other two to play with. He continues to innovate — this year he added ride to the fastball, drop to the curveball and sinker and sweep to the sweeper — just to stay on top of the heap,” wrote Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required) in a piece ranking starting pitchers for the remainder of 2025 in fantasy baseball.

The Phillies have to be thrilled with the continued production from Wheeler, who is still reaching new heights in Year 11 of his career.

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His presence is a major reason the team is considered among the contenders in the MLB.

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