Phillies 2023 Report Cards: Grading the starting pitching
In a rollercoaster year for the Phillies' pitching staff, who was dependable and who was expendable?
By Jake Huber
Aaron Nola
What can you say about Aaron Nola? He has been the guy for eight-plus years now in Philly. He is Philly. Fresh off his recently agreed-upon contract, we'll get to see him in red pinstripes for the foreseeable future.
His 2023 was a very interesting one, to say the least. Nola surrendered a career-high 32 home runs over the course of 32 starts — not good. Nola ended the season with a 1.151 WHIP — very good. Aaron Nola has stuff, durability, and poise; that's what makes him a great pitcher.
2023 PitchingNinja Award for Best Call of a Pitch by a Guest Broadcaster. 🏆
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 10, 2023
Winner: Big Boi describing Aaron Nola's Knuckle Curve.
"Oh lawd, what is that?! He's a magician." 🔊 pic.twitter.com/twtLXaQUb4
Obviously, Nola wasn't what everyone had expected, or even hoped for, this year. His sniper-like two-seamer that always used to find the edge leaked over the plate. His nasty 12-6 Curveball that he would bury in the dirt stayed up just a little too long. His velocity was down consistently late into games. Yet, he still ended the season with a 4.46 ERA, close to 200 innings, and 200-plus strikeouts again.
Everyone has hiccups or off periods. Thankfully it wasn't during the postseason.
Nola pitched to a 3-1 record with a 2.35 ERA with over 20 strikeouts in his four starts in the postseason. He was a huge piece of the carefully crafted puzzle Caleb Cotham and Rob Thomson created.
The postseason matters most. If he hadn't performed so well during the postseason his grade would be a C. Instead, he receives a B.
Grade: B