By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola had a stellar 2018 season, so much so that he is among the names being considered for the National League Cy Young Award and Most Valuable awards.
Among all Major League starters, Nola posted the best bWAR (10.5), fourth-best ERA (2.37), fourth-most starts (33) and quality starts (25), fifth-most innings pitch (212 1/3), fifth-best opposing OPS (.570), seventh-best WHIP (0.97), seventh-most wins (17) and eight-most strikeouts (224).
Nola's final 2018 start on Sept. 29 — tossing seven scoreless frames against the National League East champion Atlanta Braves en route to his 17th and last win — appropriately solidified his great season. Nola's last game-worn jersey of 2018 can now be seen at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as the Hall's Vice President of Communications and Education Jon Shestakofsky shared the Phillies' donation on Friday.
The jersey worn by @AaronNola027 in his final appearance of 2018 has arrived @baseballhall. In that September 29 start, he earned his 17th win of the season, pitching 7.0 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.37. Thank you Aaron, and thank you @Phillies for the donation! pic.twitter.com/RXrgH3u1AI
— Jon Shestakofsky (@Shesta_HOF) October 12, 2018
The 25-year-old earned his first All-Star nod, the first Phillies starter since Cliff Lee five seasons prior. His 224 strikeouts were the second-most ever by a Phillies pitcher 25 or younger, bested only by Hall-of-Fame RHP Grover Cleveland Alexander (227) in 1911. His 10.5 bWAR was the most by any pitcher since Hall of Fame southpaw Randy Johnson (10.7) in 2002, and the most by a Phillies pitcher since Hall of Fame lefty Steve Carlton (12.1) in 1972, according to MLB.com.
Nola's MVP award candidacy — which will likely lose out to Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich — exists not only thanks to his overall numbers, but especially his numbers while appearing on the game after a Phillies loss. The right-hander won 10 of his 13 decisions in this circumstance, allowing only 28 earned runs in 116 1/3 innings for a 2.17 ERA. Also, four of Nola's career-high 33 starts in 2018 came opposite former Cy Young Award winners — Clayton Kershaw, David Price and Max Scherzer (twice). In those outings, Nola went 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA, while his opposite went a combined 0-1 with 2.52 ERA.
Nola also became just the second Phillies pitcher ever to strike out 200 batters while holding opponents to a .200 batting average or lower.
There are many other amazing, statistical feats Nola accomplished in 2018. How Nola finishes in the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player award races will only raise awareness and appreciation toward his 2018 greatness even more. The National Baseball Hall of Fame simply got out to an early star to honor the Phillies right-hander.
