Aaron Nola poised to haul Philadelphia Phillies forward
In the midst of a season of growth for the entire Philadelphia Phillies organization, an ace is emerging.
When Philadelphia Phillies pitchers Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta were both going strong in May with eight wins between them, it was still clear to some observers that the ace between them was not the Cy Young award winner and World Champion. At that time it might have been early to discuss potential Cy Young winners. Nola’s performance on Independence Day, however, makes the argument more real.
Half the season is over and the young right-hander is now 11-2, tied for the most wins in the NL, and he is third in MLB only to Corey Kluber in Cleveland and Luis Severino in New York. His ERA is at 2.41. His WHIP has dropped to a career-low of 1.009, and is year-over-year lower by 0.199 from 2017. He alone is the reason the Phillies are 10 games over .500 July 5 and not one over.
Yes, he could have a dreadful half somehow; he has been a bit streaky in the past, but this looks like the proverbial “big step forward” for a player who just turned 25.
(Aside: You, Mr. Major Leaguer, do not want to face Aaron Nola, whose fastball is getting faster as years pass. Also, he mixes pitches so well his manager leaves him in to face Manny Machado in a tough situation – after 100 pitches – and he then gets Machado. He did that on July 4.)
If this isn’t convincing yet, I’d suggest Reuben Frank’s article at NBCSports.com on ten Nola stats “you absolutely won’t believe!” Frank’s is a dense, stat-laden matter with some unwieldly numbers due to the fact Nola has now played 78 games. The best anything in 78 games doesn’t stick in your mind.
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Two “rounder” facts are very notable in Frank’s list:
“Nola has already had 10 starts this year allowing four or fewer hits. That’s tied for the most in franchise history at this point in a season. [Grover Cleveland] Alexander had 10 such games 84 games into 1915.” That’s fastest to 10, and the guy he beat only won 373 games and was at his peak in 1915, posting 31-10 and a 1.22 ERA.
And: “Nola’s 35 wins are tied for the most in Phillies history by a pitcher in his first 78 career games. Hamels also had 35 wins after 78 starts.” Hmm, fastest to 35 wins, tied with two others. One is Cole Hamels, who has won 151 MLB games in the current era, and has been a World Series champion and World Series MVP.
Next: Indians bullpen trade options
There’s good company, and then there’s sick company. The company around Aaron Nola is becoming pretty bed-ridden.