That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Are the Phillies going to start locking up their young talent?

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 3: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on July 3, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 3: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on July 3, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Aaron Nola

Aaron Nola is slated to be a centerpiece on this team for a long time. He was among the best pitchers in the league last year, posting a 3.54 ERA, 1.208 WHIP, 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 3.27 fielding-independent pitching in 27 starts. His 4.3 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference was ninth among National League pitchers. By Fangraphs WAR, he ranked seventh among NL pitchers.

Nola is the Opening Day starter the year and is expected to be the ace of the rotation. If Philadelphia gets to the wild-card game, Nola would probably be the one to start it. He is expected to fill a huge role this season, and there’s no reason to think why he can’t.

Of course, this all depends on Nola’s elbow remaining healthy. It showed no issues last year after it caused him to miss the final two months of the 2016 season. There were significant doubts about his future heading into 2017, but he quelled them with a strong season.

Nola is easily the team’s best starter when healthy. He will hit arbitration after this season and would stand to get a decent amount. Signing him to an extension would avoid the issue and give Nola and the team some long-run security.

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