When Being the Best Isn’t Enough — Wheeler Snubbed for Cy Young Award Again

We’re not upset, we’re just disappointed.

For the second time in his career, Zack Wheeler has finished second in NL Cy Young voting, and for the second time in his career, he was absolutely robbed. Braves pitcher Chris Sale took home the award to the surprise of very few, as he’s been the betting favorite most of the year, but for the Phillies fans who watched Wheeler take the mound every five games, it’s hard to fathom.

Here is the breakdown of the lopsided voting:

Wheeler continually feels like the most underrated and underappreciated ace in the entire MLB, so let’s break down the numbers to see why he really was snubbed by the voters again, and these aren’t just the rants of an angry Phils fan.

First, let’s look at Sale’s numbers because make no mistake, he was phenomenal for Atlanta all of 2024. He finished the year with a record of 18-3, pitched to a 2.38 ERA, and had 225 strikeouts. He led all of MLB in each of these categories, earning him the very rare pitching Triple Crown, something we have not seen since Shane Bieber in the shortened 2020 season. He also led the league in FIP at 2.09, home runs per nine at 0.5, and strikeouts per nine at 11.4. He was named an all-star for the eighth time in his career and the first time since 2018, and he won the Gold Glove for NL pitchers. Seven times prior to this he had finished top six in Cy Young voting, including a second-place finish in 2017, without ever taking home the award. I am not saying that emotions would sway the opinions of the writers who vote for these awards, but if ever there was a pitcher who deserved the Cy Young simply because he’s worked for it for so long, it would be this 14-year MLB veteran.

For Wheeler, he led the league in WHIP at 0.955, hits per nine at 6.3, and quality starts at 26. That last stat does not get enough attention in my opinion, because that means in Wheeler’s 32 starts in the 2024 season, he went six innings and gave up three or fewer runs 26 times. That is an unbelievable amount of consistent excellence from a starting pitcher in an era of load management. Speaking of which, Wheeler was second in the NL in innings pitched at 200, marking the second time in his career he pitched at least 200 innings in a season. He was named an all-star for the second time in his career and nominated for a Golden Glove but lost that race to Sale as well. In terms of the stats that earned Sale his Triple Crown, wins, ERA, and strikeouts, Wheeler was second in the NL in all those categories, with two less wins at 16, an ERA .19 points higher at 2.57, and one less strikeout at 224.

As these numbers indicate, this was an incredibly close race, and truly could have gone either way, but there was something that I don’t think the voters considered that cost Wheeler the award, and it’s what cost him the award three years ago too. In 2021 Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers took home the Cy Young, with Wheeler finishing just 10 voting points behind to come in second place. Burnes’ numbers in 2021 were phenomenal but Wheeler had very comparable stats. However, in that season Burnes finished the year with 167.0 innings. Wheeler clocked in a career-high and MLB-leading 213 1/3, a full 46 1/3 less innings. That’s more than five complete games, or seven to eight starting pitching appearances, which equates to about two full months that Wheeler pitched more.

This year it’s more of the same. Wheeler logged 22 1/3 more innings than Sale, who finished the 2024 season with 177 2/3. While this isn’t quite as large as 2021, it’s still an average of about three to four fewer outings, which is reflected in his 29 starts compared to Wheeler’s 32. Sale was battling back spasms as the season came to a close and was unable to pitch for Atlanta in the final stretch of the season. This included a must-win game 162 against the Mets where a loss would have ended their season. Being unable to take the mound for your team in the most important game of your team’s season is something that should have impacted the Cy Young voters’ decisions, but unfortunately, that was the very last game of the season, and the majority of voters most likely submitted their ballots before it was revealed that Sale would be unable to play.

In five seasons with the Phillies Zack Wheeler has been without a doubt one of the best pitchers in baseball. He has given them 59 wins, a 2.94 ERA, 829 1/3 innings, 899 strikeouts, two all-star appearances, a Gold Glove, and four seasons where he finished top 12 in Cy Young voting. Despite all of this, and through no fault of his own, he still has not received the recognition we as Phillies fans know he deserves. There is an argument to be made that he is the best free agent signing in Philadelphia Phillies history. Of course, everyone goes to Bryce Harper for that, and rightfully so, but when you look at what Wheeler was expected to be when he signed here versus what he became, his absolute shattering of all expectations at a price far below what he is worth might just surpass Harper’s superstar contract to give superstar performances. In any case, Zack Wheeler is a Cy Young pitcher in every way except for the one that actually matters. Let’s just hope that we will someday be able to see the rest of the league recognize what we already know to be true.

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Bo Lynett

Bo has been a fan of Philly sports his whole life and has spent the entirety of his four years at Colgate University working to start a career in sports media. Double majoring in Economics and Film & Media Studies gave him the opportunity to study both the financial/ analytical and broadcasting/ production sides of the sports world. Outside of the classroom, he’s worked as a director and producer for Colgate’s athletic events streamed on ESPN+ and a writer for the Colgate Athletic Website. Through all of this, however, it was his love of Philly sports that drove him to this career.