NEW YORK – The Phillies have their top three pitching prospects on the same staff again.
Mick Abel and Andrew Painter have both been promoted from High Class A Jersey Shore to Double A Reading, director of player development Preston Mattingly said Sunday.
“It’s just a testament to the work they’ve done in the offseason and during the season, and also a credit to our staff,” Mattingly said. “They continue to check all the boxes. They still have a lot to work on but they’re ready for the challenge of a higher level.”
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Abel and Painter will rejoin Griff McGarry on the Reading staff. The power-armed trio was together at Jersey Shore in the month of June. All three pitchers were considered untouchable at the recent trade deadline. All three project to have four starts remaining before the end of the season.
Abel, who turns 21 this week, and Painter, who turned 19 in April, were the Phillies’ first-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Both came out of the high school ranks. McGarry, 23, was the team’s fifth-round pick out of the University of Virginia in 2021.
McGarry opened the season at Jersey Shore and registered a 3.86 ERA while striking out 15.8 batters per nine innings in 12 starts. He moved to Double A in early July and has pitched to a 2.01 ERA in his first five starts.
Abel recorded a 4.01 ERA and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 18 starts at Jersey Shore.
MLB
Painter, who was pitching high school ball a little over a year ago, has been brilliant at two minor-league levels, pitching to a 1.19 ERA in 17 starts. He has struck out 14.1 batters per nine and walked 2.7. In 81 1/3 professional innings, Painter has allowed just 46 hits and 10 earned runs while racking up 130 strikeouts and walking just 23.
“He’s ready to handle it,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said of Painter’s move to Double A.
Throughout his career, Dombrowski has shown a willingness to be aggressive in moving young pitchers up the ladder. Sunday’s moves of Abel and Painter are more testament of that. Players always dictate their own rate of advancement with their performance. It’s not out of the question that Abel and Painter could be considered for work in Philadelphia sometime next season if they continue to improve. McGarry’s name has been floated as potentially helping as soon as this season.
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