Aaron Nola, SP
Aaron Nola has been everything the Phillies expected him to be since signing his huge seven-year contract to remain with the team this past offseason. Despite having a less-than-stellar 2023, the Phillies had high hopes that Nola would revert to his dominant form this year, based on his previous solid track record.
Well, their belief in the heart and soul of the team has paid off big time. Nola is back and even better this season for the Phillies. In 15 starts, he has tallied an 8-3 record with a 3.54 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while striking out 84 in 94 innings pitched. Those numbers mirror his best-ever season back in 2018 when the right-hander had the only All-Star nomination of his career. If history repeats itself, he should be a surefire candidate this time around, right?
To Nola’s luck though, he's up against some stiff competition this year. The Chicago Cubs' Shota Imanaga, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Tyler Glasnow and even a revitalized Chris Sale with the Atlanta Braves, to name a few, are putting together consistently outstanding performances game after game.
Not to mention that the Phillies’ own unbelievable duo of Wheeler and Suárez have joined the elite ranks, putting up Cy Young-like numbers so far this season. They couldn’t possibly invite almost the entire Phillies rotation to the All-Star Game, could they? Nola will likely get the short end of the stick by the time all is said and done.