Pitchers and catchers officially reported to Clearwater last week and there is already plenty of Philadelphia Phillies news to sift through. Here's this week's installment of Phillies must-reads.
Mackanin: Aaron Nola reminds me of Greg Maddux – CSN Philly
In Corey Seidman of CSN Philly's discussion with Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, he said he sees a lot of hall-of-famer Greg Maddux in Aaron Nola. Although Mackanin can speak for experience, having managed Maddux at the Single-A level, his inexperience as a manager may have shined through. Comparing your best young arm to one of the better pitchers of all-time isn't something you normally do.
Eickhoff sidelined with thumb injury – Philly.com
Jerad Eickhoff, once considered a secondary piece in last summer's Cole Hamels deal, is unable to throw for at least a week because of a fractured thumb. Eickhoff injured the thumb while working on his bunting using a pitching machine, according to Matt Breen. The right-hander was impressive in his limited time last year, going 3-3 with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.9 WAR, per ESPN.
So who will be the Phillies Opening Day starter? – Philly Voice
Philly Voice's Ryan Lawrence looks as who the candidates to be the Phillies' Opening Day starter are. Although the team added veterans such as Charlie Morton and Jeremy Hellickson, many expect the previously mentioned Nola to get the nod.
The one point worth making is that regardless of whether he starts the first game of the season, barring something unforeseen, Nola will be touted as the team's ace. So he still will have a level of pressure on him in 2016.
Phillies radio broadcasts on FM only – The Good Phight
David S. Cohen of The Good Phight talks about the Phillies radio deal that leaves them on FM Radio only, leaving 1210 WHPT without baseball for the first time in 32 years. We also covered the Phillies' new radio deal extensively last week.
George Gouvas (@summerofgeorge3) is a contributor to Philliedelphia.com.
