Phillies: Nick Pivetta emerging as a piece of the future

Another big arm in the Phillies farm system is establishing himself at the major league level

Nick Pivetta was thrown onto the Phillies spring training roster bubble after the signing of Jake Arrieta. Set to battle Zach Eflin and Ben Lively for the final spot in the rotation prior to Jerad Eickhoff’s injury, Pivetta turned two shutout appearances in Clearwater to land in the starting rotation.

Since the start of the regular season Pivetta has been one of the bright lights on the Phillies roster. In three games he’s pitched with a 2.70 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 16.2 innings, including seven in as many innings on Wednesday.

Seeing a young pitcher like PIvetta continue to grow through the system is a great sign for an organization that’s struggled to develop arms. Though acquired from the Washington Nationals for Jonathan Papelbon at the trade deadline in 2015 Pivetta has worked his way up from Double-A Reading to make his major league debut last year.

If Arrieta can develop into a number two pitcher, which is likely his ceiling, the Phillies are in great position not just this year, but in the future. Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta appear to be the aces of the rotation for the next couple of years, and more prospects are on the way.

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JoJo Romero, Spencer Howard, and Sixto Sanchez, one of the top prospects in baseball, are a couple of years away from having a major league impact. By the time one of them arrives, Pivetta could be a reliable veteran helping to lead the rotation towards a championship.