Zack Wheeler is the best Philly athlete, and that includes Bryce Harper, Joel Embiid, and Jason Kelce

CLEARWATER, Fla. — As the Phillies continue their spendthrift pursuit of a third World Series title, we are witnessing an almost silent greatness that has perhaps been the biggest factor in their stunning successes the past two years.

We should make noise about it before it’s gone.

Zack Wheeler signed a five-year, $118 million contract before the 2020 season. It has been the best big-money signing in the history of Philadelphia and maybe one of the best big-money deals in sports history.

“Got to be one of the best big signings ever,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson.

That sounds outrageous, right? Who’s been better? Pete Rose? The Phillies got only the last year of his 15-year prime; the other four years in Philly were wiles and wisdom. Malcolm Jenkins? Great team leader, three Pro Bowls, but not a Hall of Fame talent. Bryce Harper? Hold on a second, and you’ll see why not.

» READ MORE: Where does Zack Wheeler rank among the best free-agent signings in Phillies history?

Wheeler signed a three-year, $126 million extension in the first week of March, with an average annual value of $42 million, the highest in franchise history, because he has been the best athlete in Philadelphia for the past four years.

That seems incredible, right?

The criteria for greatness are simple: Execute at the top of your craft for an extended time. Do so without missing time. When given the chance, be great against the greatest — that is, be great in the playoffs.

Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, the most talented athlete in Philadelphia, fails on the final two criteria.

Eagles center Jason Kelce has a strong argument, but he plays a supporting role, while Wheeler is the most important player every second he’s on the field.

Harper has been awesome, and he won an MVP in 2021, but an elbow injury the last two seasons limited him to just 39 homers, 137 RBIs, and 225 games.

Wheeler, meanwhile, just kept posting and kept producing. He’ll be 34 in May. He had elbow surgery in 2015. Let’s appreciate him while we can.

It’s hard, I know. Wheeler blends into the background, the opposite of Harper, whose teammates call him “The Showman.” Harper, from Las Vegas, is brawny, hairy, brash, and kind of, well, showy, with flashy bandannas tethering his golden mane, custom spikes, bat flips, and stare-downs.

Wheeler is from Dallas — Dallas, Ga., that is — and he’s slim and lanky, keeps his vanishing hair close-cropped, and considers shoelaces with metal tips a bit flamboyant for his taste.

» READ MORE: Murphy: Zack Wheeler’s new contract is a big risk, financially and philosophically. The Phillies had to take it.

While neither is quite as good as their most-lauded Phillies forebears, they are every bit the co-stars of this Phillies team that Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt were 40 years ago.

Since 2020, among pitchers with 600 innings, Wheeler has the second-lowest ERA in baseball, at 3.06. Among the 34 pitchers with at least 500 innings, Wheeler’s 52 home runs allowed ranks fourth and his WAR is tops, at 19.3.

Only four pitchers have made at least nine postseason starts for the Phillies: Aaron Nola (nine), Wheeler (10), and Cole Hamels and Carlton (13 each). Wheeler leads them in ERA (2.42), WHIP (0.762), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.80), and it isn’t particularly close. Wheeler hasn’t been the best postseason player in Phillies history; that’s Harper, but only because Harper has been one of the best postseason players in all of baseball history.

In celebration of his massive payday, we should acknowledge Wheeler’s massive talent.

He does.

“I play baseball. I’m good,” he said, shrugging and smiling. “Enjoy it while you’re here. Not everybody gets to do this. You only get to do this for so long. Don’t take it for granted.”

We shouldn’t, because he doesn’t. He just doesn’t dwell on it until the snow flies.

“You don’t get caught up in that stuff during the season,” Wheeler said. “After the season … it catches up to you. It helps you recognize what you’re doing, body of work-wise. It’s pretty cool to do it year after year.”

He’s a bit chapped by his 2023 season, slightly delayed by offseason shoulder soreness and slightly disrupted by rule changes, chief among them the pitch clock. His ERA his first three seasons in Philadelphia hovered within an eyelash of the three-year average, 2.82. And while it didn’t exactly balloon last season — his 3.61 ranked 13th among pitchers with 180 innings — he wasn’t quite himself.

» READ MORE: Wheeler wanted fewer years in his new deal. Here’s what it means for him and the Phillies’ ‘championship window.’

“Last year was sort of a [air quotes] down year, for me. Still felt like I did well,” said Wheeler, who had a 1.26 ERA in four spring starts this year. “Hopefully, this year, I can get back into the 2s. That’s where the best guys live — in the 2s.”

He also allowed 20 home runs last season after allowing just 29 in his previous two seasons combined. (He allowed three in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.) Thirteen of the 20 came at Citizens Bank Park, which consistently ranks among the most power-friendly parks in baseball.

Yet Wheeler signed, and now he’s stayed.

“In our park — I knew that was a big thing coming in. Guys were telling me I was going to go there and get crushed. I used that as motivation,” he said. “Just gives you more reason to work on stuff. You throw more inside, get in on guys’ hands. Every once in a while, a guy will go like this and hit it out. What are you going to do? You think about it briefly, but you can’t do anything about it.”

Sure you can.

Wheeler told Fangraphs.com that he plans to use the split-fingered fastball that he normally saves for Freddie Freeman against more hitters this season. Freeman crushes Wheeler, but he hasn’t hit a homer off him in more than five years.

The Phillies are betting that streak, like so many others, lasts at least four more years.