By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
To the surprise of no one, Aaron Nola will be the Philadelphia Phillies 2018 Opening Day starting pitcher. Rookie manager Gabe Kapler told the collective media, which included Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, that Nola "has earned" the chance to get the ball on Opening Day.
The former first-round pick struggled in his first Grapefruit League appearance Sunday, as he allowed four hits and three runs across two innings in a loss to the New York Yankees. Still, he's coming off of a breakout 2017 season, in which he went 12-11, while posting a 3.54 ERA and striking out 184 batters in 168 innings. Nola's 4.3 fWAR was sixth among National League pitchers in 2017, while his 3.27 FIP was ninth in all of baseball.
While the Phillies likely hope that this will be the first of many Opening Day starts for Nola, it wasn't as though the team really had another option to start. Jeremy Hellickson, who got the ball on Opening Day in 2016 and 2017, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles last July, and is currently a free-agent. Jerad Eickhoff – who some hoped would start on Opening Day 2017 after a strong 2016 season – is coming off of a down season. In all likelihood, Eickhoff will start the team's second game of the season, but he was never going to get the nod over Nola on Opening Day. Even in the event that the Phillies sign another established free-agent starting pitcher, such as Jake Arrieta, it wouldn't make much sense for the team to start anyone other than Nola on Opening Day.
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Nola will be the first 24-year-old starting pitcher to toe the rubber for the Phillies on Opening Day since Dennis Bennett did so in 1964. Ben Harris of the The Athletic says that Nola will be the seventh youngest Opening Day starting pitcher in franchise history.
Roy Halladay and Brett Myers are tied for the most Opening Day starts for the Phillies since 2000 with three each. In theory, Nola has a chance to at least match that during his Phillies career, if not top it.
The Phillies will begin their 2018 season on March 29, at SunTrust Park against the Atlanta Braves. It's not immediately clear who will start against the Miami Marlins seven days later, when the Phillies play at Citizens Bank Park for the first time in 2018.
