Is Philadelphia Phillies Ace 'Most Reliable Starting Arm' in MLB?

It might be time to call the leader of the Philadelphia Phillies rotation the most reliable starting pitcher in all of MLB.

Sep 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have no shortage of elite pitching, but one player has made it clear he's the best of the best.

Tim Britton of The Athletic reassessed who the Phillies' team MVP has been since this season has started to wind down. He changed his mind since the first-month MVPs were handed out and moved the honor from Ranger Suarez to staff ace Zack Wheeler.

"At what point does — or did — Wheeler become the most reliable starting arm in baseball? The guy you trust most to give you 30 starts and 200 quality innings or take the ball in a big game? Wheeler's in year five of sparkling results for Philadelphia, and hasn't hit the injured list since 2022. That's despite big innings counts in consecutive Octobers," said Britton.

The Georgia native certainly wasn't bad while with the New York Mets, but there wasn't a huge consensus that he was going to be an ace somewhere.

When it came time for him to sign his first big MLB contract, however, he stayed in the NL East and went over to the Phillies.

From the jump, he was playing the best baseball of his life. It was the COVID season, though, so most poeople overlooked his efforts.

When 2021 came around, he followed up the previous year with one that was even better.

Wheeler made his first career All-Star game, posted a 2.78 ERA and led the league in both innings pitched and strikeouts. He finished second in NL Cy Young voting behind Corbin Burnes as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The righty has remained a shutdown pitcher since.

His 2023 was a step down, but still solid compared to the league average.

Philadelphia made clear how they feel about the 34-year-old, signing him to a three-year, $126 million deal before the season started. It's a lot of money to give an aging player, but they felt strongly about him.

The Phillies now look genius as he's put together what is probably the best season of his career.

He has a career-best ERA, while leading the league in both WHIP and H/9.

If it were any other year, he'd have a great chance of taking home his first career Cy Young Award, but that looks to be headed to Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves.

Still, Wheeler has been fantastic yet again and is the best pitcher on a roster with a lot of talent.