100 Names to Know: Aaron Nola and Co. provide hope for Phillies

For a team coming off a 99-loss season, the Philadelphia Phillies have a future not as bleak as it might seem. By way of the amateur draft and a few deft trades over the last eight months, the team has restocked its cadre of young players. On the pitching side especially, several hurlers are already making names for themselves, headed by right-handers Aaron Nola (No. 6 on our 100 Names You Need to Know list) and Jerad Eickhoff (No. 13).

Nola catapulted through the Phillies minor league system, going from college junior (and the No. 7 overall draft pick) in 2014 to a big-league starter in just over a calendar year.

Nola is most known for his outstanding command — the ability to move his pitches around the strike zone, placing them where he wants them in any given count. At his best, he doesn’t just throw strikes, he also throws quality strikes that result in a vast number of ground balls and strikeouts (68 in 772/3 big-league innings). While his pitches are not overpowering — his fastball tops out at 91 mph — a low three-quarters arm slot results in a lot of horizontal movement to his pitches.

MLB's 100 Names You Need to Know for 2016

The 22-year-old also has the ability to mix and trust his three-pitch arsenal (fastball, curveball, changeup). Because Nola is around the plate with his pitches, opposing batters get plenty of hits against him, including 11 home runs in 2015. Left-handed hitters had a .834 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against him, as opposed to .618 for right-handers. Still, Nola has the physical gifts and aptitude to maintain and improve upon his 3.59 ERA.

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Though generally viewed as the third pitcher in the Cole Hamels trade with the Texas Rangers in July, Eickhoff, 25, had the most immediate impact. He won his major league debut Aug. 21 with six scoreless innings against the Miami Marlins, then went on to start seven more games, ending with 10 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings against the New York Mets. The late-season performance solidified his place in the “his rotation spot to lose” category entering spring training 2016.

Before 2015, Eickhoff’s minor league record showed little inkling that such an eight-start stretch would be possible. Middling strikeout rates and ERAs over 4.00 were commonplace as he made his rise through the Rangers system.

Eickhoff’s post-trade success could be written off as unrepeatable given the small sample size. But when a pitcher’s outcomes improve to this extent immediately after a change of organizations, one has to at least consider that the new organization could be responsible. Eickhoff continued to use and trust his curveball more and more throughout his late-season run. And pitching for the rebuilding Phillies, he will get plenty of chances to reach his middle-rotation upside.

Two other pitchers are in Class AAA who could soon join them, though they missed our 100 list.

100 Names to Know: NL Central loaded for the future

Right-hander Jake Thompson, 22, came over as the prime pitching catch from the Hamels trade and also took well to his new locale, going 5-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his seven starts at Class AA Reading (Pa.). He is big and durable (6-4, 235 pounds) with a four-pitch arsenal highlighted by a low-90s fastball and wipeout slider, but Thompson needs to tame his walks and make better pitches against left-handed hitters. He is likely to make his debut in 2016 and could evolve into a sturdy No. 3 starter.

Right-hander Mark Appel was traded from the Houston Astros to the Phillies in the Ken Giles deal this offseason. High expectations as a former No. 1 overall draft pick have haunted him, and his 21/2-year pro career has been volatile (career ERA of 5.12). But Appel has No. 2 starter upside with three above-average pitches. He also is likely to make his major league debut in 2016.

GALLERY: MLB'S 100 Names to Know for 2016