Philadelphia Phillies: Midseason grades for starting pitchers
By Tim Boyle
The Philadelphia Phillies have been forced to use guys like Bailey Falter and Cristopher Sanchez this year as starting pitchers at times. Neither is part of the five the team intended to put on the mound every fifth day. When the season opened, the Phillies had what was regarded as one of the better rotations in the game.
This hasn’t been the case. The Phillies are more in the middle when it comes to their starting staff. A very top-heavy rotation with a ton of trust in the back three guys hasn’t exactly worked out in their favor. Plus, with some recent injuries, they’ve had to call upon the depth pieces for some help.
During the All-Star Break, we get a chance to reflect on the first half performances of all players. This includes the Phillies pitching staff which has given us a mix of both good and bad.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher midseason grade for Zack Wheeler: A
Zack Wheeler finished the first half of the season with a record of 8-5 to go along with a 2.89 ERA. It’s not Cy Young-worthy. It is, however, ace material.
That’s what the Phillies needed from Wheeler this year. They needed another stellar beginning. They needed him to be more than the number one guy on the staff. Wheeler had to come at least close to replicating what he did for them last season. He is well on his way to doing it.
At the midseason point of the season, Wheeler gets an A. There’s no plus added to it because he could obviously be better. Fortunately, he was able to make 17 starts despite not being available for Opening Day. It has been a protective beginning for him in what we can only hope leads to an even better second half.