What Is Zack Wheeler's Net Worth and Salary?
Zack Wheeler is American professional Major League Baseball pitcher who has a net worth of $70 million. Zack Wheeler has played for the Philadelphia Phillies since 2020. He played for the New York Mets from 2013 to 2014, then he returned to the team from 2017 to 2019 after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Salary & Contracts
Wheeler signed a $118 million, five-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent in late 2019. In March 2024, Wheeler signed a $126 million, three-year contract extension with the Phillies. The $42 million average annual value (AAV) is the largest for a contract extension in MLB history. Wheeler's deal is also the fourth-highest AAV on any contract; only Shohei Ohtani, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander have made more per season.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Early Life
Zack Wheeler was born Zachary Harrison Wheeler on May 30, 1990, in Smyrna, Georgia. He grew up in Dallas, Georgia, with mother Elaine, father Barry, and older brothers Jacob and Adam. Barry spent 15 years playing amateur baseball, and Elaine played competitive softball, sometimes putting a playpen in the dugout during tournaments after she had children. All three Wheeler boys played baseball, but Jacob stopped in high school after he underwent a few operations for supraventricular tachycardia. Adam played minor league baseball as a pitcher for the New York Yankees farm system until he tore his glenoid labrum. Zack played baseball and basketball at East Paulding High School. During his junior year, he had a 1.31 earned run average and nearly 130 strikeouts, and the Georgia High School Association named him the 4A Region Pitcher of the Year. During his senior season, Wheeler set a school record, achieving 149 strikeouts over 76 innings. He was named the Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year during his senior year, and his batting average that season was .280. Zack pitched his first no-hitter in 2009 during the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs. The school retired Wheeler's #45 jersey in 2015.
Career
During the 2009 MLB Draft, Wheeler was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the first round (the sixth overall pick). He had already committed to play for Kennesaw State University, but he decided to go pro instead, signing a deal with the Giants in August 2009 that came with a $3.3 million signing bonus. Zack was assigned to the South Atlantic League Class A team the Augusta GreenJackets for the start of the 2010 season, and due to a fingernail injury on his pitching hand, he was placed on the disabled list. After sitting out six weeks of games, Wheeler was sent to the team's hand specialist in San Francisco. After returning to the GreenJackets, he started in 13 of the 21 games he played in and had 70 strikeouts and a 3.99 ERA. He was selected to play in the 2010 All-Star Futures Game, and "Baseball America" said he had the "best fastball" of any pitcher in the farm system. Zack was assigned to the San Jose Giants, a Class A-Advanced team, and while playing for the team, he had nearly 100 strikeouts and a 3.99 ERA. He played in the 2011 California League All-Star Game, and in July of that year, he was traded to the New York Mets. For the rest of the 2011 season, Wheeler played for the Class A team the St. Lucie Mets, then he was assigned to the Eastern League Double A team the Binghamton Mets. He ended up being Binghamton's star pitcher, and his 25% strikeout rate led to Zack being named an Eastern League All-Star and being chosen for the 2012 All-Star Future Game.
In a July 2012 game, Wheeler struck out 11 batters, and the next day, he was promoted to the Triple-A team the Buffalo Bisons. By the end of the season, he led Minor League Baseball with nearly 150 strikeouts. In 2013, Zack began playing for the Pacific Coast League team the Las Vegas 51s, and he ended the season with 73 strikeouts. Wheeler's major league debut took place on June 18, 2013, and in August, he became the youngest Mets pitcher since the mid-1980s to record 12 or more strikeouts in a game. Zack recorded 84 strikeouts during his rookie season, and in a June 2014 game against the Miami Marlins, he pitched a complete shutout. He pitched 187 strikeouts that season. In March 2015, Wheeler suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and he underwent Tommy John surgery later that month, followed by surgery in April 2016 to remove a stitch that hadn't dissolved. In August 2016, he was diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon. In January 2017, Zack signed a one-year contract with the Mets worth $800,000, and in April, he started a game for the first time in more than two years. In June, he was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to biceps tendinitis.
In September 2020, he partially disconnected one of his fingernails from the nail bed while putting on a pair of jeans. He pitched with a fake fingernail the following week and underwent surgery on October 12th. During a May 2021 game, Zack struck out 14 batters, a career high. That year he led the league in strikeouts (139), and he was selected for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game. He came in second in voting for the NL Cy Young Award, and he was a finalist for the NL Gold Glove Award (which he would go on to win in 2023).
Personal Life
Zack married Dominique Rizzo on December 31, 2019. They welcomed son Wesley in 2020 and daughter Bambi in 2022. During the off-season, the family lives in Dallas, Georgia. Wheeler is close friends with retired baseball player Chipper Jones, who played for the Atlanta Braves for nearly two decades. The two met when Chipper's agents recruited Zack in high school.
Awards and Career Highlights
In 2021, Zack was the National League strikeout leader, and he was an All-Star and a member of the All-MLB Second Team. In 2023, he won the Gold Glove Award, which is one of the sport's most prestigious defensive awards.
