Phillies select pitcher Mick Abel in the first round of 2020 MLB draft

With the 15th pick in the 2020 MLB draft, the Phillies select Mick Abel out of Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. It’s a bit unexpected as many experts believed they would not choose a high school arm in the first round, especially considering the draft was heavy on college pitching talent. This marks the first time the team selected a pitcher in the first round since they picked Aaron Nola seventh-overall in the 2014 draft. Abel was widely regarded as the top high school arm in the draft.

Abel, a 6-foot-5, right-hander, has a fastball that averages around 95 mph and a highly-rated slider in the mid-80s. He also has curveball and changup that needs some work.

In his 2019 junior campaign, Abel struck out 111 batters and posted an ERA of 1.26 over 72 2/3 innings. On the 20/80 scale his fastball and slider rank 60 and 55 respectively.

He has verbally committed to Oregon State University, but that should change.

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