Mick Abel could fix the Phillies’ High School pitching problems
The Phillies select 18-year-old RHP Mick Abel in the 2020 MLB Draft.
In quite possibly the most surprising turn of events in recent memory, your friendly hometown Philadelphia Phillies have officially selected an 18-year-old high school pitcher in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft: Mick Abel
The 11th ranked prospect in this year’s class per MLB.com, Abel played his high school ball at Jesuit HS in Oregon and maybe the best pure pitching prospect in this year’s entire class. Noted for his mid-90s fastball, 86 mph slider, and 6-foot-5, 190-pound starter frame, Abel is the kind of player who can breeze through the minors – whenever he is actually able to – and make his major league debut before he hits legal drinking age.
But what makes Abel’s addition so interesting isn’t his on-field prowess. Granted, that is impressive, but what makes it even more so is just how reluctant the Phillies organization has been to draft a pitcher in the first round, especially one without any college experience.
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You see, the Phillies haven’t drafted a pitcher in the first round since Aaron Nola went seventh overall out of LSU all the way back in 2014. That was obviously a fantastic selection, as Nola is the Phillies’ ace and should continue to be for years to come but since then, it’s been shortstop, outfielder, outfielder, third baseman, and shortstop – may of whom aren’t even with the organization due to one trade or another.
Sure, the Phillies have drafted pitchers outside of the first round, a ton of them actually, but none has had Nola’s upside or his innate abilities on the mound.
Since 2010, the Phillies have only selected four pitchers in the first round, and haven’t selected a high schooler since J.P. Crawford’s Lakewood HS teammate Shane Watson, who most recently played for the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in 2018. Of the other two, only Jesse Biddle, the 27th overall pick in the 2010 draft actually made it to the big show, as he most recently played as a middle reliever for the Texas Rangers in 2019.
It’s understandable why the Phillies have avoided using a first-round pick on a high school pitcher when you put things in a historical perspective. Still, to forgo players like Ed Howard, Nick Yorke, and Bryce Jarvis for a high school pitcher, the Phillies must really like what Abel brings to the table.
Why wouldn’t they? The Phillies really only have one elite pitcher in Nola, with two very good second starters in Jake Arrieta and Zach Eflin and… not much else. Even if Abel’s ceiling is a middle starter, that would be a major win over the ‘Mitch Guellers’ of the world.
And if he puts it all together and becomes the perfect one-two punch with Nola, well, we could be looking back at the very birth of the Phillies’ first true homegrown star of the 2020s.
I mean his first name is Mick for goodness sake. Could you think of a better baseball/South Philly name? Like Nola, Abel should expect a slew of endorsement opportunities from brands like Acme, PSPCA, ad maybe even Yuengling – that is, when he turns 21 a few years down the line.
Next. Phillies 2020 MLB Draft: Schedule, how to watch, and general information. dark
Could Mick Abel be the first Philadephia Phillies’ first-round pitcher draftee out of high school to become a multiple-time All-Star since Cole Hamels all the way back in 2004? Maybe, maybe not, but by selecting him over a slew of other similarly talented players of all positions, shapes, and sizes, the Phillies’ front office is prioritizing upside over age and that, in my humble opinion, is a winning strategy for a team in desperate need of a new class of homegrown talent.