Aug 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Edmundo Sosa (33) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Brett Davis
Every week, On Pattison's Tim Kelly and Anthony SanFilippo will answer your Phillies questions from social media. Let's get to it.
@SixersAdam on BlueSky: How concerned are you about the way Aaron Nola's contract will age given his continued dips in velocity?
Tim Kelly: I would be more concerned if the Phillies didn't have Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo in their current rotation and Andrew Painter looming.
Aaron Nola has been a legitimate ace at times in his career, but there's also been seasons where he's pitched more like a No. 3. Because the Phillies have so many other talented arms in their rotation, they can deal with that as long as Nola is still logging 180+ innings ever year.
Look, there is risk in adding an extra year or two onto these contracts to lower the present-day luxury-tax threshold hit. Will Nola still be a frontline starter when he's still making $24.5 million in 2029 and 2030? Probably not. But I don't feel this deal is at risk of becoming an albatross because Nola has never been someone who has relied on throwing a fastball in the high-90s. With that said, being able to locate his pitches will take on increased importance if there comes a day where his fastball is only averaging 90 mph.
Another odd year starts out with Aaron Nola struggling to limit homers
onpattison.com/news/2025/ap...
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) April 5, 2025 at 8:08 PM
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Anthony SanFilippo: The simple answer is, not at all. I know that a lot of times when it comes to discussing pitchers, I feel like I'm talking about the Jurassic period when I say that pitching doesn't always have to be about velocity. Heck, it wasn't that long ago that there were very successful pitchers in baseball who barely threw the ball 90 mph. And honestly, lets see where his velocity is in June. If it's still 90-91, then we can revisit this conversation. But for two starts in March and April, I'm not going to sweat that detail.
The thing I appreciate the most about Nola is how cerebral he is when it comes to pitching. The guy thinks the game so incredibly well. He knows how to attack each and every hitter and he remembers how he attacked them the last time and tries to figure out a different way each time to get the same positive result. It's like a chess master.
That said, his mistakes are almost always related to execution. And because he doesn't throw hard, he gets punished for his mistakes more easily. So it makes sense from a fan's perspective that when you see his velocity dipping for a couple starts at the beginning of the year and he's yielded four home runs and eight runs on those four dingers, to wonder if there's something to worry about here.
I still say no, and I use Saturday's start as a prime example. Nola didn't have good velocity on his fastballs Saturday. His best pitch, his curve ball, was off. And yet, he took on an uber-talented Dodgers lineup and got the Phillies through six innings giving up only three runs. From a 1,000-foot view that's just a mediocre start, but considering the situation, it was far a better outcome than it could have been, and that's because of his guile in how he pitched throughout.
Having that kind of ability in baseball is very valuable — especially in an era where guys can throw far harder and have less of an idea of where that pitch is actually going.
Couple this with his durability, and I look at that contract and say I'm not worried about it becoming an albatross either. Zack Wheeler is being paid $42 million in 2025 to be an ace. So, by 2030, aces will be making what, $50 million annually? At least? By that point, Nola will be a durable, back-end-of-the-rotation guy keeping you in games for half that price.
I don't see that as a contract that ages poorly at all.
@ThirtyBallparks on Threads: Who should the Phillies bench to give Edmundo Sosa more playing time?
@Jami on BlueSky: Hi Tim. I was listening to Ant today on his podcast talking about Sosa and how productive he has been. I know the Phillies don’t want to upset any of their starters, with that said, of Stott, Turner, Bohm, and Marsh, who has the potential to lose the most playing time if Sosa continues like this?
Tim Kelly: History tells us that Edmundo Sosa isn't going to become someone that plays 130 games a season. When he's had these type of stretches previously, he's eventually cooled off and been overexposed when given increased playing time.
With that said, he's hitting .550 right now. His energy is infectious. He absolutely should get additional playing time the next few weeks while he's this hot. He started at third base Sunday, and I expect he'll play left field tonight against the Braves.
In general, I think the player who stands to lose the most starts the next few weeks is Bryson Stott, but it could turn out to be a mix of second base and left field. It would surprise me if Alec Bohm is regularly out of the lineup on a team with so few right-handed hitters.
Trea Turner becomes the latest Phillie to rave about what “stud” Edmundo Sosa brings to the team
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/0aP00CKMBj
Anthony SanFilippo: I'm not sure any one guy should lose more playing time over any other to get Sosa into the lineup. The Phillies also want to strike a delicate balance with Sosa. They want to give him opportunities when he's going good — as he is now — but they've also seen him fall back to earth hard in the past when he's played too much.
But he's deserving of getting time, and it looks like the Phillies are going to try and find ways to use him.
He's likely going to start in left field tonight in place of Max Kepler against a very tough lefty in Chris Sale. In fact, Sosa is almost assured to be in the lineup regularly against left-handed pitchers. And in those cases, the likely spot will be either left field or second base. I would say that in two out of every three times it'll be left field. I know it's been a very small sample to start the season, but Kepler's swings against lefties have looked even shakier than his actual numbers. That's why I think he loses out the most against lefties.
As for righties, and the conversation around Bohm, I expect Bohm to play plenty and be in the lineup 90% of the time. The Phillies aren't going to give up on him just because he had a bad second half of last season, was benched in a playoff game and is off to a slow start this season. He's still going to see the bulk of the time. But whereas he was an automatic in the lineup before with the exception of the scheduled off day here and there, the Phillies may deploy a lineup like they did Sunday with Sosa in place of Bohm one or two times a month more frequently.
Doing all that would get Sosa in the lineup about half the time each month, and that's about the best way to use him.
@Rsharpe25 on X: Building off Ant’s prior article, the high leverage bullpen arms have already been taxed tremendously. Are there plans to work in a Joe Ross or Jose Ruiz (combined 6.1 IP) into a high leverage spot to try to give these guys a rest and keep the macro view of the season in mind?
Phillies bullpen already feeling it, just seven games into the season
From @AntSanPhilly https://t.co/55XLgp0670
Tim Kelly: Rob Thomson has spoken very highly of José Ruiz since he joined the Phillies' bullpen last May. If the Phillies decide to have a struggling Jordan Romano pitch in some lower-leverage spots for the time being, Ruiz could be the guy that gets the increased high-leverage opportunities.
I've been a bit perplexed by what Joe Ross' role is to this point, because it felt like he was signed to be the No. 6 starter and more of a multi-inning reliever. And he did take down multiple innings in Saturday's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he's only pitched three times so far this year. If he's not going to be stretched out, it would seem that giving him some more high-leverage spots would make sense.
Anthony SanFilippo: Everyone should have someone love them as much as Thomson loves Ruiz. That said, if it were my call, I'd use Ross in more high-leverage spots. He's simply the better pitcher. In fact, he proved he can do it a season ago when he started taking down leverage innings for Milwaukee during the Brewers push to win the NL Central.
The conundrum is, if Ross goes into that role while the Phillies try to fix Romano, who do they have left to take down multiple innings, if needed? There doesn't seem to be confidence in Carlos Hernández right now. He's made just one appearance so far and it was an ugly one, allowing three hits and a walk along with a pair of runs in one inning. But the Phillies also want to see if they can fix Hernández's issues — which are usually rooted in control — because the dude can throw 99 mph. As such, they are reluctant to waive him and have him go elsewhere until they truly find out what they have.
Why would they have to waive him? Because the multi-inning reliever types are down in the minors, and to make a move, someone would have to go out of the bullpen, and the other guys are all locked in place. The Phillies are going to try and tiptoe through a period of time until an absolute need is created in the bullpen and hope Romano rights himself in short order. Because using Ross and/or Ruiz in his place is not an ideal situation for the bullpen at all.
