In the latest release of Prospects Live’s midseason top 100 prospects for 2023, the Philadelphia Phillies find two of their very own top prospects making the honoured list. This includes Phillies’ MLB pipeline top-ranked prospect pitcher Andrew Painter and the Phillies’ MLB pipeline second-ranked prospect pitcher Mick Abel.
Coming in at the No. 12 spot on Prospects Live’s midseason top 100, Painter had been on the sidelines for practically the entire season so far in 2023 ever since he went down with an elbow injury in early Spring Training. Otherwise, there was even the potential of him starting the season with the big league club. The fact that he is still 12th on the list speaks volumes of his expected potential and impact when he hits the big stage.
For his minor league career so far, Painter has posted a dominant 6-2 record with a 1.48 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, giving up only 18 earned runs, 25 walks with a whopping 167 strikeouts in just 109.2 innings pitched. With a fastball that could top out at triple digits, along with his sweeping slider and above average curveball and changeup, his four-pitch arsenal will certainly serve him well when he joins the majors in due time. For now, he appears on track to make it back before the season’s end for his 2023 debut.
Not too far behind we find Abel in the No. 35 spot, having moved up from No. 46 in the Prospects Live’s preseason top 100. Abel hasn’t been dishing out eye-popping numbers like Painter has so far in his minor league career, but he has produced a respectable 4.25 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, with 266 strikeouts in just 213.2 innings of work. He possesses a similar four-pitch arsenal in his repertoire as Painter, but his command hasn’t been as sharp and can be inconsistent at times, leading to some hard hit balls.
Pitching for the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate Reading Fightin Phils this season, Abel is 2-3 with a 4.75, 1.30 WHIP, with 70 strikeouts in 60.2 innings of work. His stats have been ballooned somewhat because of one bad outing in May in which he gave up nine earned runs in just over three innings of work. But his recent solid stretch and improved development in June is what perhaps helped enhance Abel’s stock, leading to his recent move up the ranks in Prospects Live’s top 100.
Hopefully in the near future, the Phillies will have other up and coming prospects join the ranks with Painter and Abel, paving a way for a bright future for both the prospects and the Phillies’ organization.