Philadelphia, PA - Aaron Nola has been immense on the mound since the beginning of the 2022 season, pitching more innings than any pitcher by a significant margin. Considering both season and postseason play, Nola has accumulated 518 1/3 innings in the three seasons. The closest competitor is Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who falls short with 485 1/3 innings.
This dominance shouldn't be a shock considering Philadelphia's deep playoff run in 2022 and their near repeat performance in 2023 when they were strong sports betting bc favorites for the playoffs. However, Nola's durability goes beyond team success. He consistently made 32 starts per season from 2021 to 2023. They even started in 12 games during the shortened season of 2020. In addition, he topped the Major Leagues with a total of 34 starts in 2019 and followed that up with another strong showing of 33 starts in 2018.
Nola's impact extends beyond showing up on game days; he also goes into games. Out of the pitchers who have made at least a hundred starts since 2018, Nola stands out as one of nine hurlers averaging six innings per start or more. Interestingly, all eight others who share this distinction have faced time on the injured list this season: Sandy Alcantara, Shane Bieber, Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Jacob deGrom, and Gerrit Cole Max Scherzer.
One name cannot go unmentioned. Nola's partner, Zack Wheeler.
Given the unfortunate injuries suffered by these top pitchers, it's hard to ignore the concerns. While Zack Wheeler has stayed healthy for the past two seasons, he did spend time on the injured list in 2019 due to right shoulder fatigue and again in 2022 with right forearm tendinitis.
The workload was always a concern for manager Rob Thomson, who feels they must do everything to keep the pair fit.
Nola is already off to a strong start this season, entering Wednesday ranked fifth in the NL with 71 innings pitched.
Unlike the other eight pitchers who have all dealt with arm issues and spent time on the injured list in recent years, Nola hasn’t been out since 2017, when he had a lower back strain. Despite his heavy workload in recent seasons, Nola started his ramp-up program earlier this offseason than usual. This approach aims to spread his preparation over a more extended period, allowing for lower intensity instead of giving his body extra rest and then cramming his preseason program into a shorter period.
So far, it’s working out well for the team. The Phillies’ rotation entered Tuesday with a league-leading 2.73 ERA and 336 innings pitched. Nola admitted that this was the best rotation he’s ever been part of in recent years.
“Being in the postseason the last couple of years, we know how important our bullpen is.” Said Nola. “We need those guys fresh and throwing hard like they do -- we've got a lot of good arms down there. So the more the starting pitchers can keep those guys fresh right now, the more we can rack up innings, the better off we'll be.”
Like any team, the Phillies constantly monitor their pitchers by checking spin rates and velocity, analyzing mechanics, getting feedback from the strength and conditioning staff, and staying on top of routine treatment.
