Brookover: Aaron Nola's brother describes perfectionist
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Aaron Nola's fast rise from being the Phillies' first-round pick out of LSU in 2014 to becoming a member of their big-league starting rotation in just over a year was primarily about two things: command and control.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Aaron Nola's fast rise from being the Phillies' first-round pick out of LSU in 2014 to becoming a member of their big-league starting rotation in just over a year was primarily about two things: command and control.
At a young age, Nola had an uncanny ability to not only precisely hit a catcher's target but also maneuver the baseball in the exact way that he desired. So what if he could not throw it 100 miles per hour? Velocity without the ability to navigate is as worthless as a wireless device without a connection.
And as far back as Austin Nola can remember, his younger brother always had the most valuable attributes of a major-league pitcher.
"I just remember him always having great control," said Austin Nola, a fifth-round draft pick in 2012 who is still trying to break into the big leagues with the Miami Marlins. "Even when he was a young high school pitcher, he could hit the outside corner every time. He doesn't even have to think about it. He just looks at a mitt and he throws it there."
Austin Nola, 27, got a greater appreciation of his brother's special talent this offseason. After five seasons as an infielder, he has moved to catcher. So shortly after Christmas, as the brothers started getting ready for another spring training, Austin squatted through a series of bullpen sessions with his little brother.
"I really got a chance to see his stuff," Austin said before a recent workout with the Marlins in Jupiter, Fla. "It was so cool. It's fun to catch him because his control is off the charts. I just put my glove down and he hits it every time."
Aaron Nola, meanwhile, appreciated the feedback from his brother because he knew it was honest.
"A lot of people when you throw to them won't tell you straight up what's going right and what's going wrong," Aaron said. "He'll tell me straight up. He'll tell me what I can do better and what I'm doing wrong."
Exactly how Aaron Nola became so good at controlling and manipulating a baseball is not clear. Asked if his skill translated to other sports, Austin said he did not think so.
"He played a little basketball, but he wasn't very good," the older brother said.
Aaron did not disagree.
Austin then revealed another moment this offseason that provided some insight into how Aaron's meticulous mind works.
"Me and him were building this cabinet-like thing for the back of his truck," Austin said. "With him, every measurement had to be perfect. Everything had to be right on point and look perfect. Me, I was just like, 'Let's put this together and hurry up.' I wanted to go for speed and get it done and I know it's going to look good. It took a couple of days to do it because he wanted it to be exquisite. It turned out perfect."
Aaron conceded that he has an architect-like mind that he has tapped into more since becoming a professional baseball player.
"I think a lot and I have a lot of ideas," he said. "I'm kind of a perfectionist, too. When I do something I want to do it right and I think that does translate to pitching. I love to watch the game from the bench. I love watching our pitchers, the pitchers on other teams and the catchers. I try to learn as much as I can and create as many ideas in my head as I can."
Humility ended up being the primary lesson for Aaron Nola in 2016.
Through a dozen starts, he was 5-4 and his 2.65 ERA was among the National League leaders. That outstanding stretch also meant that through his first 25 big-league starts he was 9-6 with a 3.34 ERA. He had walked just 34 batters and struck out 153 in 1452/3 innings. Those are all-star numbers, but severe turbulence was on the immediate horizon.
"It's a very humbling game," Aaron said. "When you're at the top, change. Don't coast and think you have it because you don't. Don't ever take anything for granted."
Nola, 23, went 1-5 with a 9.82 ERA in his final eight starts of last season before being shut down after a July 28 outing in Atlanta. For the first time in his life, the command and the control were absent and there was nothing he could do about it. He allowed 54 hits, walked 14 batters and hit five others in 33 innings.
Doctors determined he had "low-grade" sprains and strains of ligaments and tendons in his right elbow and he received an injection in mid-August designed to relieve the problem. So far, so good. His command and control were back during those bullpen sessions with his brother and they have remained intact since he arrived in spring training last week.
"He was a little frustrated, but it was out of his control," Austin Nola said. "He did everything he could to keep his arm healthy, but it was hurting. It looks like it's better, so we'll see how he does this spring. He told me his bullpens have been great."
The Nolas have always had a dream of one day facing each other in the big leagues. Now they can also dream about possibly being brother batterymates, a big-league rarity that has not occurred since June 28, 1962, when Norm Sherry caught Larry Sherry for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"That would be great," Aaron Nola said. "That definitely would be a dream come true. There's not anybody else who knows me better than he does. Maybe one day I'll throw against him and maybe one day we'll be on the same team and I'll get to throw to him."
The immediate goal, however, is for the older brother to get to the big leagues while the younger one regains the command and control that got him to the big leagues in such a hurry.
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