Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto offers bold take on ace Zack Wheeler’s place among baseball’s best

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto considers his teammate Zack Wheeler to be the best starting pitcher currently operating in the major leagues. Relamuto said that not only is Wheeler an exceptional competitor, but he also has an uncanny ability to keep developing his arsenal even though he is approaching the twilight of his career.

Zack Wheeler has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the MLB over the past few years. The veteran right-hander produced the best campaign of his career in 2024 and finished as the runner-up for the Cy Young Award in the National League once again.

J.T. Realmuto made a guest appearance on The Phillies Show podcast this Thursday. He shed some light on his experience catching for Zack Wheeler during the show. [19:17 - 23:26]

"He's such a competitor," Realmuto said. "He made a big jump just his first year that he came here, but it seems like he's still finding ways to get better. Either adding a new pitch or changing the shape on a certain pitch. He uses his pitches differently. He's so adaptable for somebody that's this late in his career to be still making adjustments to get better.

"The guy loves to pitch; loves to dominate, that's what he's done for five years now," Realmuto added. "In my opinion, it's not even a question if he's the best starter in the game. I hate that he's gotten so close to two Cy Youngs and hasn't gotten one yet, but he's the best starting pitcher in the game, in my opinion."

Zack Wheeler has finished inside the top 10 for the Cy Young voting in three of the previous four seasons.

Sometimes it looks like he's about to fall asleep before the game: J.T. Realmuto on the pre-game prepararation of Zack Wheeler

Zack Wheeler has rackd up more than 200 strkouts in three of the last four seasons (Image Source: IMAGN)

During the show, J.T. Realmuto discussed his pre-game preparation on the days when Zack Wheeler is set to start on the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies. Realmuto said Wheeler remains so composed during his pre-game routine that it sometimes becomes hard to tell if he's even awake.

"Sometimes it looks like he's about to fall asleep before the game," Realmuto joked. "[Pitching coach] Caleb [Cotham] and I basically go through the game plan, and sometimes Caleb and I look at each other like, "Is he sleeping right now?"

"He's calm before a game. Not a lot of guys are that calm. He's just relaxing and listening," Realmuto added. "He doesn't have to think too much out there. He's so talented. He knows we're going to put our work in. He trusts our work, but then he's also smart enough. He knows the game plan. He knows how to pitch. He knows how to make adjustments throughout a game."

Wheeler made 32 starts for the Phillies last year and pitched exactly 200 innings. He posted a 16-7 record with a 2.57 ERA, 0.955 WHIP, and 224 strikeouts.