Zack Wheeler Punished MLB for Snubbing Him and Made the All-Star Committee Look Silly
Zack Wheeler was snubbed from the All-Star Game. Then he went out and outdueled the reigning American League Cy Young winner in his own ballpark.
Wheeler and the Phillies rolled the Detroit Tigers 5-0 on Saturday at Comerica Park, with Wheeler tossing six scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts against Tarik Skubal in what turned into a personal statement. Skubal gave up two earned runs across five innings. Wheeler gave up nothing. This was not particularly close.
The most damning part for the All-Star committee? Wheeler was not even chosen as an injury replacement until after the fact, and he turned it down. He then went to Detroit and pitched like a man who had spent two weeks marinating in rage.
Through 15 starts this season, Wheeler has a 2.13 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. Among pitchers with at least 80 innings, that is the fourth-best ERA and second-best WHIP in baseball. Only Jacob Misiorowski has been more efficient. In his two starts since the snub, Wheeler has given up one run in 13 innings while striking out 24 batters.
Phillies fans have collectively decided that being snubbed was the best thing that could have happened to their rotation. Every Twitter reaction after the Detroit game said some version of the same thing. Zack Wheeler pitches better when he is angry, and MLB just handed him a reason to be angry all summer long.
The bigger picture here is that Philadelphia is quietly assembling one of the best pitching rotations in the sport. Christopher Sanchez is emerging as a legitimate NL Cy Young contender at the top. Wheeler is pitching like a co-ace. Aaron Nola remains a workhorse. Ranger Suarez keeps giving them quality starts. This is a rotation built for October.
And here is where the story gets more interesting. The Phillies have reportedly been in on the Tarik Skubal trade sweepstakes. The idea of pairing Sanchez, Wheeler and Skubal in a playoff rotation should terrify every other National League contender. The Dodgers can build super teams. The Phillies can build super rotations, and they are much cheaper.
Detroit, of course, does not want to trade Skubal. Tigers president Scott Harris has resisted the idea publicly. Skubal has told friends he wants to stay in Detroit for the rest of this season. The Tigers have gone from 22-38 to a legitimate wild card contender since June. Trading their ace at this point would be organizational malpractice.
But if Detroit does end up moving Skubal at the deadline, Philadelphia should be one of the first calls. The prospect price would be enormous. The Phillies would have to include some combination of Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford and Aidan Miller. That is a lot to give up. It might also be exactly what October requires.
For now, the story is Wheeler making a mockery of the All-Star selection process. He is 36 years old, he pitches with a fastball in the mid-90s that has more life than most guys ten years younger, and he treats every mound like it owes him money. The Phillies are fortunate to have him locked up through 2027.
The next All-Star committee should probably remember his name. Zack Wheeler pitching angry is a nightmare for hitters and a treat for Phillies fans. He has earned the ballot. He has earned the respect. He has earned everything except the trip to Philadelphia this week that he should have been on all along.
The rest of baseball is going to hear from him again in October.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
