With the seventh pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, the Phillies selected Aaron Nola, a right-hander on the fast track to the majors. The fast track reaches its conclusion on July 21, 2015, just over a year from his debut in professional baseball. Nola is with the Phillies for his major-league debut.
It a season that has long been lost for the Phillies. Everyone knows that. In another 10 days, the team could have a completely different look, with Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon as the favorites to be dealt at the trade deadline.
With nothing to lose and players possibly headed out the door, now is the time for Nola to get the valuable experience of pitching in the majors.
So far in 2015, Nola has posted a 10-4 record with a 2.39 ERA. His last start in the minors was one of his worst, allowing six runs – five earned – in three innings for Lehigh Valley. He was 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA prior to that start.
There's a reason Nola came up this fast. He was effective. He was consistent. He proved he belonged at every level along the way.
It is a brief minor-league career for Nola. He made seven appearances and six starts in Clearwater. He started 17 games over two seasons for Reading. He made just six starts at Lehigh Valley. Overall, that's a total of 30 games in the minor leagues.
This was all known when the Phillies drafted Nola. He was going to showcase skills that would make him a major-leaguer with ease. He doesn't electrify you. He's not flashy. But he gets the job done. If he can do that at the majors, or at least show flashes of it during this wasted year, that will be a small victory for the Phillies future.
This is the reason why Nola's call-up makes sense. Why not now? It's only the thing fans have been pleading for years to see – the prospects come up and learn at the major-league level.
Last season, it was Ken Giles. This season, it's Nola.
It gives Nola a chance to get his feet wet, get the nerves out of his system, before he's essentially the most recognizable member of the rotation.
In another two weeks, which will be just two starts away for Nola, the Phillies rotation will likely no longer feature Cole Hamels. Three members of the rotation will be David Buchanan, Adam Morgan and Jerome Williams, now back from injury. Aaron Harang is recovering as well. Chad Billingsley could be lost for the year with an elbow injury. Severino Gonzalez is in Triple-A and could fill that last spot. That leaves Nola.
It's a big step for the 22-year-old who has one year of professional experience, being the face of the rotation after just two starts, but that could be the case.
The thing about Nola is that he's been so effective and rarely run into trouble that it has helped aid his cause of getting to the majors. Nola isn't the top prospect in the Phillies system. He probably won't be the ace of the future. His call-up hardly begins to solve the Phillies problems and right the organization.
But it's a start. It's a glimpse of the future that is quickly turning into the present. It is Nola's own chance to stick here.
In a year where the downfall to the bottom has continued, a 22-year-old rookie could be the thing to bring a little life to the ballpark. He'll definitely do that on Tuesday night in his debut.
Kevin Durso is editorial assistant for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
