The further into November we get, the bigger the rewards become. On Thursday night, the All-MLB first and second teams were named. Two Phillies players would represent the team in this category.

The Phillies announced on X that starting pitcher Zack Wheeler and first baseman Bryce Harper earned All-MLB honors for 2024.

Wheeler was named to his All-MLB first team, and at age 34, he’s still among the best in the game. Also a National League Cy Young finalist, he’ll likely finish second in the voting behind Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves .

Wheeler was arguably an NL Cy Young Award snob in 2021 when he lost the honor to Corbin Burnes, who was then pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Harper certainly believes his teammate deserved it.

“He’s a Cy Young,” Harper said in September, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “I don’t think anyone in baseball is better than him at this point. I don’t think anyone is in the National League either. People in Atlanta probably think the same thing about the guy pitching there- low (Sale), but I thought (Wheeler) was robbed of it three years ago. I think he deserved it this year.”

Wheeler finished 2024 with a career-best 2.57 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He would pitch 200 innings and total 224 strikeouts in 32 starts.

During this time, Harper was named to the All-MLB Second Team. He started the 2024 season on fire, being the leading vote getter for the 2024 All-Star Game. Unfortunately, Harper offensive production stalled in the second half of the season, but he finished the 2024 season with a .285 batting average, 30 home runs, 87 RBIs, and an OPS of .898.

There are no better candidates to earn All-MLB honors than Wheeler and Harper. These two players give the Phillies the best chance to bring a championship back to Philadelphia, and they deserve to be recognized among the best in the game.