Mick Abel, the Phillies' 20-year-old top pitching prospect, ranked No. 20 on Fangraphs' list this week of the top prospects in baseball.
Abel was the third-ranked pitcher, behind only Baltimore's Grayson Rodriguez (3) and Tampa Bay's Shane Baz (11), who appeared in the majors late last season.
The Phils' other ranked prospect came in at No. 34, infielder Bryson Stott, who has a chance to not be considered a prospect much longer.
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Abel has pitched just 44⅔ pro innings, all in 2021. He was drafted 15th overall by the Phillies in 2020, a minor-league season lost to the pandemic.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander has risen high on these prospect lists, ranking 51st at Baseball America and 41st at Baseball Prospectus.
"When you talk about the top of our prospect list, (Mick) Abel and (Andrew) Painter, those guys are as good as anybody's two pitchers," Phillies director of player development Preston Mattingly said this month in Clearwater.
Painter was the Phillies' first-round pick in 2021, a 6-foot-7 righty who struck out 12 in six scoreless innings in rookie ball last season. The Phils are plenty excited about their pair of giant pitching prospects.
MLB
"Two big right-handed guys, it's like we're two peas in a pod," Abel said at this month's minor-league minicamp. "He's one of my best friends here, I love him."
Check out the video above for more on the Abel-Painter dynamic.
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