Ranking the 10 best players in the National League East

8) Best players in the NL East: Zack Wheeler

Zack Wheeler was laying the groundwork in his final seasons as a Met to eventually become the pitcher he is right now. In those final two seasons he was among the best starting pitchers in the National League in the second halves of those seasons.

Once signing with the Phillies, the right hander put it all together. He had an ERA below 3.00 in the truncated 2020 season, finishing 12th in the National League Cy Young balloting.

In his first full season in Philadelphia, Wheeler had his best season yet. He finished second in the Cy Young balloting, but I believe he should've won the award. He had almost 60 more innings pitched than the winner Corbin Burnes which I believe should've mattered more than it inevitably did to the voters.

This season, Wheeler has gone 11-7 with a 3.07 ERA in 23 starts. He's missed some time due to injury but when healthy, he's been a workhorse for the Phillies.

Since joining the Phillies, Wheeler is fifth in the National League with a 2.90 ERA and is fifth in the National League with 422.1 innings pitched. HIs 2.82 FIP is third in the league since joining the Phillies.

Letting Wheeler go never made much sense in my eyes and for a team that struggles in the health department particularly with pitchers, Wheeler would've been huge as a guy who has taken the ball every fifth day most of the time and goes deep into the games he starts.