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What to Expect from Phillies Pitcher Mick Abel

Originally posted on New Baseball Media
By Chris Studley | Last updated May 17, 2025 9:43 AM ET

With Aaron Nola on the injured list, the Phillies will pull the trigger and promote Mick Abel. Abel’s been off to a much better start in 2025, at least compared to the command problems he had in 2024. Now, he’ll look to continue that momentum, at least temporarily, in the Majors.

A Look at Abel

The Phillies drafted Mick Abel, arguably the best high school pitching prospect available in his draft year, 15th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft. Philadelphia’s loved picking players out of the Pacific Northwest over the last 15-20 years; former first-round picks Mitch Gueller and Trevor May were among those taken by the Phillies out of that region.

However, none of those names had the same pedigree as Abel.

Abel had a standout 2021 campaign, albeit a brief one. He struck out 66 over 44.2 IP. The Oregon native walked 27, though, a sign of problems to come.

After that 2021 season, Abel steadily moved up the ranks and mowed down hitters en masse. He picked up 132 cumulative strikeouts in 2023, a year spent mostly in Double-A. However, 2024 was a different season. Abel, with an involved delivery and tall frame, walked 78 over 108.2 IP with Lehigh Valley (AAA). Command became a much larger conversation point surrounding the righty.

However, Abel’s rebounded well in his second stint in Triple-A. The 23-year-old’s been more consistent in terms of limiting walks, with a 3.7 BB/9 over 46.1 IP. Abel struck out 51 over 46 frames and opposing batters hit just .215 off him.

As of May 16, Abel had the third-most strikeouts in the International League, behind only Ian Seymour (55) and Jacob Misiorowski (59).

In Triple-A, there were a lot of visible swings from opposing batters that screamed in-between timing. The 23-year-old can effectively work hitters with two hard fastballs, a two-seamer, and a four-seamer.

The four-seam plays despite average IVB (15.7”), as Abel can gas it up to 99 MPH with life. And, it was his most-used pitch, as Abel broke it out 44.7% of the time. He netted a whiff on it 29.7% of the time, quite good. His 46 cumulative whiffs on the four-seamer ranked 10th-best among Triple-A pitchers.

At the same time, Abel can slow down the game. He possesses a high-80s changeup, a mid-80s slider, and a high-70s curveball. While he used his slider more than any other offering among his three secondary offerings, Abel’s slider didn’t get a lot of swing-and-miss (25.9%). But, it does have slightly-above-average depth — roughly 0.6 better than the league average.

Mick Abel Pitch Movement 2025 Via New Baseball Media

The curveball got more, at 34.8%.

Between the sinker, sinking changeup, and his breaking balls, Abel’s become more of a ground-ball pitcher. His GO/AO ratio jumped from .69 in 2022 to 1.05 in 2025. But, keep in mind he does often live up in the zone to set up his secondary offering. The key to his success is to keep his fastball elevated, above to where hitters can’t get it.

Mick Abel Whiff 2025 AAA (5.16) Via New Baseball Media

Mick Abel will make his MLB debut with the Phillies on May 18.

Analysis

Abel will not stick on the Phillies’ roster past May 18 — for now. The Phillies have already made it known that with Aaron Nola on the injured list, Abel will make a spot start before being demoted back down.

Then, Taijuan Walker, who’s been pushed to long relief and threw three innings on May 14, will take his spot in the rotation.

However, the move to promote Abel will give the Phillies a first look at what Abel can truly do at the MLB level. His prospect stock has taken a hit in years thanks to command problems but the stuff still proved to be good in the Minors.

And at some point, the Phillies had to give him a look. Abel was added to the 40-man roster in November 2024. Because he was previously optioned and spent 20+ days in the Minors, one of three options was burned this season. The clock has begun to tick on Abel.

This article first appeared on New Baseball Media and was syndicated with permission.

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