Often overshadowed by bigger-name rotation-mates and forever perceived as fragile after being sidelined for 2015 and 2016 by elbow surgery, Wheeler is now a full-fledged top-of-the-rotation starter at age 30. His raw stuff is better than ever, with a fastball that averaged 97.0 mph to rank fourth among all starters behind Cole and Mets teammates Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom. His low-90s slider and slow curveball were also plus pitches, combining to finish 64 of his 195 strikeouts. And unlike many flame-throwers, Wheeler actually throws strikes.
Wheeler has had big-time stuff since the Giants picked him sixth overall in 2009 and later traded him to the Mets for Carlos Beltran, but since coming back from surgery he’s sliced his walk rate from 4.0 to 2.5 per nine innings while continuing to be elite at limiting homers. He’s been one of baseball’s top 25 starters in back-to-back years, and there may still be more upside to unlock in the right circumstances. Perhaps fittingly, he’s good enough to be the top free-agent starter on the market, but instead sits behind two much bigger names, not unlike his time in the Mets’ rotation.
