Philadelphia Phillies: Aaron Nola a hidden pitching gem
By Ron Juckett
The young Philadelphia Phillies ace is still a secret. Aaron Nola’s fame will grow nationally with more impressive starts. Here is why.
As the Philadelphia Phillies storm into contention in the National League East, starter Aaron Nola is on a role. However, outside the Delaware Valley, you would not know it.
In his third season with Philly, Nola has emerged as the ace. Through seven starts, he is 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA and 0.920 WHIP. Those numbers will draw notice around baseball in short order.
With veteran Jake Arrieta in the rotation, and rookie manager Gabe Kapler learning on the job, Nola has the Phillies in a tight four-way divisional battle. Along with the impressive Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia battles an injured New York Mets squad and the red-hot Washington Nationals for NL East supremacy.
Although the rotation is thin behind Nola and Arrieta, there are enough easy games on the schedule to place Philadelphia in the Wild Card and divisional hunt all year.
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Since Kapler drove fans batty on Opening Day pulling Nola after 68 pitches in the sixth inning, the skipper has let his young ace pitch deep into games. In Nola’s four wins, he has pitched into the eighth twice and a full seven innings each time. He scattered six earned runs over 29.1 frames.
The trusty calculator says is a 1.84 ERA. That will win a bunch of games and earn Nola cash. At 25, he hits arbitration for the first time after this year on a team rolling in cash. Well played, sir.
Nola’s best outing so far this year came last Wednesday, May 2, in Miami.
Against the Marlins, Nola did not allow a run in 7.1 innings. He scattered four runs and a walk while striking out seven. Only one Marlins batter reached second base, and that was in the first inning.
The key to Nola’s success, according to Brooks Baseball, is his mastery of four pitches.
Nola mixes a fastball around 93 on the radar gun with a changeup averaging 85. He will mix in a curve and sinker into the mix, but his bread and butter comes with fooling hitters with the change and fastball.
When Nola needs it, he can hit 96. Although Miami hit his fastball, his change drew 11 swings and misses. Those numbers are filthy.
What strikes you most in those numbers is his comfort to throw any pitch with confidence. Through the early part of the season, his H/9 rate is a whopping 6.110. That is Max Scherzer territory and gets Cy Young votes come November.
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With no pressure this year for the Philadelphia Phillies, Aaron Nola emerges on to his own with a bright future dead ahead.