Philadelphia Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro previously said he was not going to rush his talented cast of starters at Double-A Reading. He didn't really have much of a choice with top prospect Aaron Nola.
The right-hander was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday after posting a 7-3 record with a 1.88 ERA and 0.887 WHIP in 12 starts with the Fightin Phils, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Nola was considered the most MLB-ready pitcher of his draft class after he was selected seventh overall last year, writes Alex Kraft of MiLB.com.
Now that he's one step away from the MLB, when will Amaro decide it's time for Nola to make his debut?
"The former Louisiana State Tiger has three above-average offerings and an advanced feel for pitching. With all the service time and Super Two clocks stalled for another year, Nola could find himself pitching for Philadelphia after a short stay in Lehigh Valley," writes ESPN Insider Tommy Rancel.
The subject was brought up in late May and Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly spoke to Amaro about it.
"Amaro has acknowledged that Nola could get to the big leagues this season, and it would be surprising if he didn't. The path to Philadelphia could include time at Triple A. Or it could mean a jump from Double A to the big leagues. That is not an uncommon leap for top pitchers," he wrote.
Trade rumors suggest the Phillies are almost guaranteed to part ways with starters Cole Hamels and Aaron Harang, which would open up two spots in the rotation. It's unlikely Amaro will want to promote Nola as early as July (probably when Hamels and Harang would be gone) and have him assume a big role in the starting rotation because he team wants to limit him to around 170 innings. Breen points out that will give him about 14 more starts until he's shut down.
However, assuming all goes well at Triple-A, that could be a possibility, even though the Phillies may not want to overwhelm him with such a fast promotion to the MLB. Based on Amaro's comments and the way he's handled the team's current rebuild, it appears as if Nola is slated for a mid-to-late August or early September promotion.
Whatever the case, look for Nola to be pitching in the big leagues before the season is over.
