The Phillies brass were all smiles when former first round draft pick and future starting rotation hopeful Mick Abel threw a clean inning against the New York Yankees on Sunday, February 25, at BayCare Field in Clearwater, Florida. Abel struck out two and walked none against a lineup of New York Yankees split-squad players. The Phillies are hoping that the 22-year-old Abel will show enough in the spring to put himself in the equation for a rotation spot at some point this summer, when the inevitable injuries and doubleheaders begin to pile up.
The most cost-effective way to fill out a Major League starting pitching rotation is by drafting and developing high quality pitchers. For the Phillies, after spending big to re-sign Aaron Nola, and with a contract extension for co-ace Zack Wheeler under negotiation at this moment, finding rotation help within the organization is a priority. The Phillies, however, do not have a strong record for developing home grown starting pitching talent. Over the past 30 years, the team has drafted just a handful of eventual rotation pieces (aces Cole Hamels and Aaron Nola, mid-rotation starters Brett Myers and Randy Wolf, and back of rotation fill-ins Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley).
Of the current crop of starters only Nola came by way of the draft. Last year, nineteen-year-old phenom, Andrew Painter was marked for a rotation spot, until he was felled by injury in his first Spring Training appearance, later undergoing Tommy John surgery. While the Phillies wait for Painter to rehab (he won’t be back this year), the team is pinning its hopes on Abel.
The Phillies drafted Abel in the first round (15th overall) of the June 2020 Amateur Draft, out of Jesuit High School in Beaverton, Oregon. While Painter, who was drafted a year later, is the higher profile pitcher, the 6’5”, 190-pound Abel is not far behind. When he was drafted, Phillies amateur scouting director Brian Barber told MLB.com, “He has the potential to be a future workhorse and just a dominating factor and presence and a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.”
Abel lost his first professional season when the Covid pandemic shut down minor league baseball, but since that time he has been making a steady march through the team’s farm system. He spent most of 2023 at Double A Reading, before getting one start at Triple A Lehigh Valley. His numbers have been just OK. His fastball sits at between 95-99 and he also features a curveball and a gyro slider. The problem has been command. While his 10+ strikeouts per nine innings is commendable, his 5.2 walks per nine innings is not acceptable. The control problems have been chiefly responsible for his minor league ERA hovering around 4.00.
Abel says his biggest goal this spring is “lowering my walks per nine.” He told NBC Sports Corey Seidman that, “It’s not something I think about too much, it just comes with command and conviction over the plate.” He pounded the strike zone in his first spring outing, after which he said that his gyro slider (a pitch thrown harder with less break than a typical slider) helps him stay behind the ball and throw through the zone, which could help him with his command.
Able’s ability to throw strikes consistently will be the determining factor in whether he makes it to the Major Leagues sometime this season. When he does get here, the Phillies hope that this homegrown talent will hold a position in the starting rotation for years to come.
