Phillies Prediction: Aaron Nola competes for a 2018 Cy Young Award
By Tim Boyle
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola put together a strong 2017 season. In 2018, he has a chance to compete for a Cy Young.
After parts of three seasons in MLB, Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola has made a lot of progress. From first-round draft pick to number one starter, Nola has advanced at a good pace. By next season he has a chance to compete for the Cy Young Award.
Of course, pitching in the National League comes with its challenges. Namely, winning a Cy Young means besting Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and some other phenomenal arms.Can Nola pull it off and become one of the league’s best pitchers?
Nola turns 25 next summer. Although this is quite early to peak, it’s the perfect time to start to begin an ascent to the top of the mountain. To be clear, he won’t win the Cy Young. He won’t even finish in the top three. He will, however, piece together a season worthy of earning at least one voter’s attention.
In his 27 starts in 2017, Nola went 12-11 with a 3.54 ERA. He averaged just below 10 strikeouts per nine and finished the season with a 3.27 FIP. It was a year worthy of recognition which helped to establish him as the Phillies’ top starter. This was more than a default title. On many teams, he’d still be the number one. On the Phillies, he just happened to look that much better.
Next year, I see Nola going from the Phillies’ number one starter to a Cy Young candidate. How far can he take this prediction?