The Philadelphia Phillies' first MLB debut of the season was, unquestionably, a glowing success. Nobody knew exactly what to expect when Mick Abel took the mound at Citizens Bank Park for the first time on May 18.
The top pitching prospect delivered, and then some.
If you somehow missed all the hoopla, Abel dazzled for six innings. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out nine and shockingly walked none, outdueling Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes in a 1-0 win. Rightly or wrongly, the Phillies made sure everyone knew that Abel's time in the majors would be brief. He was just a one-start call-up, per MLB.com's Paul Casella, filling a temporary gap in the rotation.
Unfortunately for Abel, even his brilliant debut performance couldn't entice the front office to reverse course and keep him in the big leagues for longer. With veteran Taijuan Walker pitching admirably this year, he earned the right to rejoin the starting five with Aaron Nola nursing a bum ankle.
Of course Mick Abel dominated in his first start back in Triple-A
Coming off his confidence-boosting MLB debut, Abel returned to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and made his first start this past weekend, picking up where he left off before the call-up. He continued his excellent minor league season by striking out eight Buffalo Bisons hitters over six innings, allowing just three hits and one run in his May 24 start.
Abel is 6-2 with a 2.41 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over nine starts for the IronPigs this season. He has a 10.15 K/9, but strikeouts haven't been his problem over the past few seasons as he has watched his prospect stock drop.
The 2020 first-round pick has struggled with command, leading to erratic outings, high walk rates and ballooning ERAs. After sticking as MLB Pipeline's No. 2 Phillies prospect from 2021 through 2024, Abel was dropped to No. 8 to begin this season — and for good reason.
He posted a 6.46 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in Lehigh Valley last year, with an outrageous 6.46 BB/9. He had a 5.16 BB/9 in 2023, mostly in Double-A Reading. In fact, he has never owned a walks per nine innings lower than 4.00 at any level since beginning his professional career. That is until this season.
Abel sports a 3.96 BB/9 so far. It's still not ideal, but it's an encouraging step, especially after seeing his MLB debut. While he fared well in his return to Triple-A, he still walked four batters in the outing.
Perhaps, understandably, he didn't have the same adrenaline from his debut, during which he was the sharpest the Phillies have seen him. If that's Abel's ceiling, it's a tantalizing prospect.