Zack Wheeler, New York Mets
Jacob deGrom got all the attention (and rightfully so) for his Cy Young-winning performance in 2018, but did you know that Zack Wheeler actually had a better second-half ERA (1.68) than his teammate (1.73)? Well, now you do.
A two-year layoff because of Tommy John surgery and the ensuing setbacks didn’t help Wheeler ease back into major-league competition smoothly in 2017 (5.21 ERA in 86.1 innings). However, he turned it on in a big way from the start of June to the end of the regular season. Not only did his cumulative 4.1 fWAR rank among the 20 best qualified starting pitchers, but he also finished with the third-best soft-hit rate (23.4%) and best hard-hit rate allowed (24.8%).
Expectations for Wheeler are high as he enters his final year of team control. He’s a crucial cog to the New York Mets’ rotation, but he qualifies as a dark horse because he’s likely viewed as the team’s third-best starting pitcher. DeGrom obviously takes the top spot in that conversation, followed by Noah Syndergaard.
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