Zack Wheeler
Zack Wheeler | |
---|---|
Philadelphia Phillies – No. 45 | |
Starting pitcher | |
Born: Smyrna, Georgia, U.S. | May 30, 1990|
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
June 18, 2013, for the New York Mets | |
MLB statistics (through April 20, 2024) | |
Win–loss record | 88–66 |
Earned run average | 3.42 |
Strikeouts | 1,439 |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Zachary Harrison Wheeler[1] (born May 30, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets.
Wheeler was born to a baseball-playing family in
Wheeler then rose through the Mets'
Following a 2017 season in which he was limited by injury, Wheeler in 2018 had a career-high number of
Early life
Wheeler was born on May 30, 1990, in
The Wheeler family moved to Dallas, Georgia, when Zack was 13 years old. Rather than attending Campbell High School like his brothers, Wheeler attended East Paulding High School, where he played baseball and basketball.[5] As a junior in 2008, Wheeler posted an 8–3 win–loss record, with a 1.31 earned run average (ERA) and 127 strikeouts in 64+1⁄3 innings pitched, and was named the Georgia High School Association 4A Region Pitcher of the Year. The following season, he set a school record with 149 strikeouts in 76 innings, in addition to posting a 9–0 record and 0.54 ERA, and was named the Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year. As a designated hitter, Wheeler also had a batting average of .280 during his senior year. During the second round of 2009 Class 5A state playoffs, Wheeler pitched his first no-hitter, against Mill Creek High School.[6] In 2015, East Paulding retired Wheeler's No. 45 jersey.[7]
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
The
Wheeler was assigned to the
Prior to the 2011 season,
On July 28, 2011, the Giants traded Wheeler to the New York Mets in exchange for veteran outfielder Carlos Beltrán and cash.[14] Giants general manager Brian Sabean said that they chose to trade Wheeler rather than a position player because, "[w]e didn't think (Zack) Wheeler was going to impact our situation in the immediate future. Quite frankly, it's our job to find another Wheeler or develop another Wheeler."[15] He spent the remainder of the season with the Class A St. Lucie Mets, where he went 2–2 with a 2.00 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 27 innings across six starts.[16]
The Mets assigned Wheeler to the
The day after he struck out 11 batters in a game against the Harrisburg Senators, Wheeler was promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on August 1, 2012.[21] After a series of injuries befell members of the Mets' starting rotation, inning limits were placed on the team's top prospects, with Wheeler limited to 150.[22] He was shut down on September 1, five innings into a match against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. In 149 innings between Binghamton and Buffalo, Wheeler posted a 12–8 season record with a 3.26 ERA, and led Minor League Baseball with 148 strikeouts. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters that Wheeler was expected to open the 2013 season with Buffalo, and that he would likely make his major league debut that same year.[23]
After the Bisons chose to reaffiliate with the
New York Mets (2013–2014, 2017–2019)
2013–14
Wheeler made his major league debut on June 18, 2013, pitching six
With the news that Matt Harvey would miss the 2014 season to recover from
2015–16
On March 16, 2015, the Mets announced that Wheeler had torn the
Wheeler suffered a series of setbacks in his return from Tommy John surgery. In early April 2016, he underwent a second surgery to remove an undissolved stitch in his elbow, and the Mets pushed his expected return to after the
2017–19
Wheeler signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Mets on January 11, 2017, avoiding arbitration.[43] He made his first major league start in over two years on April 8, allowing five runs and six hits in only four innings against the Miami Marlins. He pitched a perfect first inning, with his fastball speeds up to 97 mph (156 km/h), but as the game continued, his velocity dropped to 93 mph (150 km/h).[44] The worst two starts of his career both occurred in June, first when he gave up eight runs in 1+2⁄3 innings against the Chicago Cubs, and then when he gave up two home runs to Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger, helping Bellinger set a record for most home runs in a player's first 51 major league games.[45][46]
When Wheeler was put on the 10-day disabled list on June 22 with biceps tendinitis, revealing that he had been feeling soreness in the arm since a June 7 start against the Texas Rangers, some sports journalists wondered if he should have been pitching in those games.[47] Injuries continued to follow Wheeler through the second part of the season. He returned to the disabled list on July 24 after suffering a stress injury to the humerus.[48] He was shut down for the season on August 24. In 17 starts, Wheeler posted a 3–7 record with a 5.21 ERA for the 2017 season.[49]
Although Wheeler entered the 2018 season healthy, the Mets' offseason signing of All-Star Jason Vargas led to speculation that Wheeler would be moved out of the starting rotation and into the bullpen.[50] After a disappointing spring training performance, Wheeler began the season with Las Vegas.[51] He was called to fill Vargas' spot in the rotation after the latter pitcher was placed on the disabled list, and a strong performance against the Washington Nationals on April 18 demonstrated Wheeler's ability to remain in the major league rotation.[52] His pitching was particularly dominant after the All-Star break, where he led MLB in WHIP with 0.81 and had the second-lowest ERA with 1.32.[53] By mid-September, the Mets were discussing whether Wheeler should be shut down for the season, as his 187+1⁄3 innings pitched were more than double his 2017 totals.[54] Mets manager Mickey Callaway confirmed on September 19, 2018, that Wheeler was finished pitching for the season. He went 12–7 for the year, with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in 29 starts.[55]
As he was set to become a free agent at the end of the 2019 season, there were rumors that the Mets would attempt to trade Wheeler before the July 31 deadline, but they instead elected to retain him, with then-general manager Brodie Van Wagenen telling reporters, "We think he's a good pitcher. We have interest in him being a Met for the long term."[56] As with the previous season, Wheeler improved in the second half of 2019. After going into the All-Star break with a 4.69 ERA, he allowed only one earned run in each of his final five starts. Wheeler also set career highs in innings pitched, with 195+1⁄3, and strikeouts, with 195.[57] He finished the season with an 11–8 record and a 3.96 ERA in 31 starts.[30]
Philadelphia Phillies (2020–present)
On December 9, 2019, the
Wheeler returned to the
In 2022, he was 12-7 with a 2.82 ERA in 153 innings with 163 strikeouts over 26 starts, and his career 0.812 home-runs-per-9-innings was 4th-lowest among active major league pitchers.[71] His salary of $26 million was the 10th-highest of all NL baseball players.[71]
In 2023, his ERA worsened to 3.61, but his win-loss record improved to 13-6. He struck out 212 batters in 192 innings and earned his first career Gold Glove Award.[71][72] He relied primarily on his fourseam fastball (44% of the time) and slider (27%), while also mixing in a sinker and curveball.[73]
On March 4, 2024, Wheeler signed a three-year, $126 million contract extension with the Phillies.[74]
Pitcher profile
Wheeler boasts a five-pitch repertoire, consisting of a
Among his other pitches, Wheeler uses his curveball and changeup to supplement the fastball and slider.[79] He considers the curveball to be "decent", and believes that his control of the pitch, which he has been throwing since high school, has decreased with the continued improvement of his slider.[80] His changeup, by contrast, is a more recent pitch, one that Wheeler began throwing in the 2014 season to confuse batters expecting a hard fastball.[81] His slider is his least developed pitch, and Wheeler expressed a desire prior to the 2021 season to improve the pitch's consistency and "make it look like a strike instead of it ... being like a waste pitch".[82]
Personal life
Wheeler and his wife Dominique have two children, a son born July 20, 2020, shortly before the start of the pandemic-shortened
Wheeler has a close friendship with retired Atlanta Braves player Chipper Jones. The two were introduced when Jones' agents recruited Wheeler out of high school.[85]
References
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External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Zack Wheeler on Twitter