Abel (illness) struck out two over 1.2 perfect innings of relief in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Yankees.
Making just his second appearance of the spring and pitching for the first time since Feb. 25 after an illness cost him some time, Abel was dominant in his return. In addition to recording a pair of punchouts, Abel retired the other three batters he faced via groundouts. The 22-year-old may have earned himself a longer stay in big-league camp on the heels of Monday's strong outing, but he's still most likely being ticketed for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley rotation to begin the season.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Battling illness
Rotowire
Abel was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against Minnesota due to an illness, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Abel struck out two batters in a scoreless inning during his first appearance of the spring, but his second outing will have to wait until he recovers from his illness. Abel logged a 4.13 ERA and 1.26 across 113.1 minor-league innings last season and reached Triple-A for the first time at the very end of the year. The 22-year-old right-hander will likely return to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to begin the new season.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Down time before/after Futures Game
Rotowire
Abel has not pitched for Double-A Reading since June 29, but he struck out two over a scoreless inning in the Futures Game on July 8.
He let it rip in the one-inning exhibition appearance, sitting at 98-99 mph with his fastball. The 21-year-old righty logged 60.2 innings in 13 starts during the first half after building up to 108.1 innings in 23 starts last season. He has a 4.75 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 13.4 percent walk rate on the season, so Abel has some work to do before looking like a viable upgrade in the big-league rotation.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Joining big-league camp
Rotowire
Abel will attend the Phillies' big-league camp this spring.
The 2020 first-round pick remains an interesting prospect, but he's been passed within his own organization by 2021 first-rounder Andrew Painter, who's moved into the conversation for top pitching prospect in the game. Painter appears to have a legitimate shot to break camp in the majors, but Abel isn't at that stage yet. That's not an insult to Abel, who's just 21 years old and has yet to reach Triple-A. He owns a 27.6 percent strikeout rate in 23 professional starts, but he'll need to trim his 10.6 percent walk rate to take the next step. If a 2023 major-league debut is in the cards, it will probably happen late in the year.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Skidding in High-A
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Abel has a 5.28 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 27:14 K:BB across his last five starts (29 innings) for High-A Jersey Shore.
Though he turned in a six-inning quality start with seven strikeouts in his final start prior to the All-Star break, it's been a rough go for Abel lately overall. His control sometimes abandons him, and that's often led to meatballs over the plate that have been crushed. While Abel has the size and the raw stuff to be an excellent major-league starter, it's getting to be a little concerning that he hasn't been able to deliver sustained success in the minors yet. Of course, he's still 20 years old with plenty of time to get on track.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Missing bats in High-A
Rotowire
Abel has posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 23:3 K:BB across 14 innings spanning four starts for High-A Jersey Shore.
He hasn't been asked to pitch very deep into games thus far, as he's only finished five innings once, but Abel has done a great job missing bats and limiting walks. The 2020 first-rounder will probably move methodically through the organization, as he's only 20 years old and doesn't yet have a ton of pro innings under his belt, so look for him to spend most of this season refining his craft at High-A.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Expected to open in High-A
Rotowire
Abel is expected to open the 2022 season at High-A, according to Baseball America.
Last year was a mixed bag for the 2020 Draft's No. 15 pick, as he put up a modest 4.43 ERA and 1.22 WHIP for Low-A Clearwater before being shut down with shoulder tendinitis, but he also struck out an impressive 66 batters in 44.2 innings. This season will be about refining his control and building up his innings count, so don't expect to see Abel in the big leagues quite yet, but he has one of the highest-upside arms in the minors.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Dealing with shoulder tendinitis
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Abel is battling shoulder tendinitis and may not pitch again until the instructional league, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Abel hasn't pitched in over a month, and while he's reportedly feeling better, the Phillies have little reason to rush their 2020 first-rounder. He's had mixed results in his first professional season, striking out an impressive 34.9 percent of opposing batters in 14 starts for Low-A Clearwater but also issuing walks at a 14.3 percent clip, leading to a 4.43 ERA.
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Phillies' Mick Abel: Stays on turn in Low-A rotation
Rotowire
Abel, who exited his July 15 start for Low-A Clearwater with an unspecified injury, was cleared to make his most recent turn through the rotation Wednesday against Tampa. He worked 3.1 innings and gave up four runs on three hits and five walks while striking out three during the 79-pitch outing.
While Abel's results Wednesday were less than stellar, the healthy pitch count suggests that whatever issue forced him out of the July 15 outing wasn't a major concern. Over his 14 starts on the season with Clearwater, Abel owns a 4.43 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 66:27 K:BB across 44.2 innings.
