On the mound:
In 2016, ex-Phillies manager Pete Mackanin basically stated that Nola had the potential to be another Maddux, but many had pegged Nola as a three or a possible two. So, what ability did Nola have for the comparison to Maddux? Pinpoint control!
Regarding Maddux, the Professor in his final season (2008) delivered 2,494 pitches including an average 84.8 mph sinker with a high of 88.7 mph. Percentage-wise, he employed his sinker (66 percent), changeup (23.7 percent) and cutter (8.4 percent) for 98.1 percent: the bulk of his repertoire.
As for Nola in 2019, he has fired 747 pitches including the midpoint of his four-seam fastball at 92.7 mph plus a high of 95.9 mph. And he has a fairly divided arsenal compared to most starters: He relies on his curveball (32.5 percent), heater (29.2 percent), changeup (19.4 percent) and a sinker (18.9 percent).
Firstly, is Neris another Sutter? No! In fact, “Hector Five 0” (my name for him) isn’t the closer on the red pinstripes either. Management is depending on him with David Robertson on the injured list and Seranthony Dominguez lacking 2018’s dominance.
Realistically, Sutter had eight solid campaigns out of nine with the split-finger fastball. He went through his peak summers of 27 through 32 before losing some effectiveness. However, Neris, almost 30, will have only three years to shine if he can. Logic: Sutter must have had a rare, deceptive split-finger as well.
According to Phillies radio broadcaster Frandsen last March, a heater appears to be in a tunnel. But Neris’ split-finger has a rare late drop and looks like a fastball. Yes, I saw that tunnel with a screaming foul liner toward my first row seat across from first base at Connie Mack Stadium off the bat of Willie “Stretch” McCovey.
To illustrate, the rookie’s ball hooked to the seat next to mine at the last instant, but concentrating on the ball created a tunnel of out-of-focus surroundings in a circular shape like the ball: a tunnel. Usually, a splitter drops and the batter tries to check his swing. But a late drop tricks him.