High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 1: Aaron Nola Cost Himself $50 Million (At Least)

Episode Date: August 21, 2023

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz discuss Aaron Nola's struggles and what it means for his upcoming contract negotiations. Presented by Miller Lite. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All-star closer, Kenley Jansen, we have a question. What's the best podcast of all time? Baseball Isn't Boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford, and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game. It's my podcast. It's my passion. It's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is.

Another fact, so jump aboard the B.I.B. Express. Follow and listen to Baseball Isn't Boring, presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. This team should have figured out how to win last year to where you don't have to do this again. You don't have to go back to being the seven games, six games under.500 team that has to fight and claw and get back.

I think people would be handling this stretch better if they just started the season and instead of being six games under, they were like two games over. I totally agree with you. They were just like, you know, playing 500-ish baseball, and then they get hot. And then they get way over. And then a 15-15

stretch isn't the end of the world. But it looks like the end of the world because the start of the season was so bad. Yeah. And again, to the point we can't spend all this time going into this stretch saying look at all these easy teams look at all these home games this is the time and then when they don't capitalize on that we get we behave a critical to not say like that would that was an opportunity that was missed this is supposed to be the extent time and and then and the frustrating part about it too is like so like, so you're wasting your opportunity now in August where you have more of a cupcake schedule.

It's not over yet. After the Giants, it eases up again. Yeah, there's still, yeah. But then it comes down to, okay, so how can I trust you in that 7 out of 10 game stretch against the Mets to end the season? Because you know the Mets are going to want to play spoiler at that point.

And the Mets have played decent baseball since, you know. Well, except Alonzo's throwing away a poor kid. Dude, how hilarious was that? Like, all his excuses, whatever, he clearly knew what he was doing. That was clearly on purpose in the moment. He was clearly being a you-know-what, a Richard, let's say. Like, what a loser. Like, what a loser launching that ball into that, like.

He didn't just toss it. Well, that's what I mean. Like, he launched it. Like, what a loser launching that ball into that. He didn't just toss it. Well, that's what I mean. He launched it. Like, that was a statement. Like, that was not a, like, he knew what he was doing. I don't care what he says. That was clearly him being a little baby because he was upset about the game, whatever, in the moment. Like, totally.

But, yeah, so it's like how much can I trust them against those kind of cupcakes teams, like the Cardinals, the Mets, like those teams when you're doing this right now. It's just like, again, there's a part of me that's hoping like last night, it's just that's a big spectacle and like having to be down

in a comeback win on Saturday and then get on a plane and fly up, like we can excuse it all you want. Well, and then spend the whole day doing things that are not what you normally do before a baseball game. It's not an excuse, but they did spend the whole day talking on the air, meeting with all these kids, watching kids play, all that stuff. It's not like you're prepping for the game

like you normally are. It is what it is. And I hope, my hope, is that they're looking at the, they were looking ahead a little bit of like what this next series of the season like this is the time like you want to there's a little bit of of the fan base is obviously worried every single time they lose that they're gonna collapse go out and just freaking smoke the giants like just go out and show the team that you can be and i think it'll give a ton of people

a bit of, okay, it was a bad series against Washington, bad series happened, they fell on their face a little bit, whatever. Turn it on this week and show that there is that chance that they can flip the switch. Because that's what we're kind of banking

on. I mean, all we're banking on the Phillies right now is just let them get in and they'll figure it out, which is a faulty strategy because it's like, it's hard to just flip a switch in baseball. Yeah, it is. But if you want to, if you're in that portion of the fan base, then freaking just, it's a home series against the Giants. It's the biggest regular season series of the season.

The crowd, I think, is going to be really, really good. It's going to have a playoff atmosphere. Freaking just go and flip it and look like the team that you can be, that you haven't been for the last month. I think that would just ease so much of the tension to where if we do get into

the final two weeks of the season, and it's like, okay, they're still there, they're still the number one wildcard, but they haven't put it away yet, then they can put it away and ride this whole thing out. Hey, fantasy football owners, the road to winning your fantasy football championship starts now. I'm Matt Harmon from Reception Perception.

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let us give you the coverage you need. Follow and listen to Reception Perception on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. But it starts tonight, and it starts with the guy on the mound. And it's like, Aaron, you have a chance to rewrite your entire season

if you just go on a run. And the frustrating part about his last start is he looks like the confidence is just zapped from him. Like he just looks like he's more, you know, aiming it up there rather than throwing it. Tonight, just go out tension-free and just go be Aaron freaking Nola because what he's doing right now is he's not even giving you the length that he used to give you

I know the last 3-4 starts he hasn't gone more than 5 what he used to do at least at the beginning of the year was he can't even allow 4 but he'd still go 7 exactly he'll settle in and be fine he'll have one bad inning like it's just it's go time and I think it's perfectly fine to not have confidence

in him, but he also has the ability to do it. So just say it's enough with the nonsense. Enough with the 4-5 ERA. Get it down to 4 by the end of the year. Can I ask for that? It's not just his season. I mean, this guy this is a contract

push right now. I mean, he has lost himself money with the way he's pitched this year. Totally. And he has a chance if he can pitch like the Aaron Nola of old down the stretch starting tonight through into the playoffs. He can not only change how we feel about him and get back to where we appreciate what he is because you're right. Everyone in this city is down on him.

Like everybody is down on him. So not only that he can make himself money like he has an opportunity now over the last six weeks here or whatever to to actually increase the amount of money that he will make this off season like this is such a an massively important stretch don't tell him that but it's a massively important stretch room because he's i think he's lost 70 million i think so i think he's lost 70 million like i think he was gonna get 5 180 so okay so i think he's i think he's lost like 50 million i think he was gonna get 5 160 and i think he's more like 110 100 so i think he's lost 50 to 60

either way whatever number it is like he has lost in the you know 40 to 50 to 60 plus million range yeah and and if it sounds like i'm begging, it's because I am. I am 100% in beg mode. Like, just please. Like, just please. Enough with the freaking, like, oh, my God, the 27 homers and the hang of the curveball that just gets destroyed. And, like, every single game time

it gets tight there's more runs like just i'm i'm begging okay like i'm just begging go out and shove and just end the year on a high note and if you want to go get paid elsewhere go get paid but it's just you can't it it's hard to dream on a World Series with the starting staff the way that it is right now. And if he can just get on a roll, and you have Wheeler and Nola and whoever after that, it just makes everything so much easier. So I'm begging, Aaron. I'm begging.

Like, I still, there's a part of me that still believes in you. I still believe in you. I think you still got something in there. Show me. Please. Just show me. I want to believe. I want to in you. I think you still got something in there. Show me. Please. Just show me. I want to believe. I want to be pro-Aaron Nola.

I want to say big game Noles. I want to bring up Houston last year and St. Louis last year and the kind of big game run he won. Just do it. Just do it. Just do it. Thank you. Well said.

Jesus. I think you nailed it with that one. Thank you. Look, I mean mean i'm right there with you obviously it's very impassioned really i think you hit on something that no one's really thinking about no one's thinking about aaron nolan and turning it around it's just it's just enough like it's just enough enough enough with the enough of the season you had i'm sick and tired i it. I can tell.

As you should be. But in all honesty, like. No. Yeah. No. No. What do you think is going to happen tonight? He's going to stink.

I think he's going to stink. Four runs, six innings. Best case scenario. Of course. Yeah. Of course. I know. I know. And then you know what the lead on the WIP tomorrow is?

It's going to be Noah. It's going to be, can you give the ball in the wild card? Yeah. And we'll get calls and it'll be show. It doesn't have to be this way. I. Please.