During the first week of spring training, the Phillies have showcased their top three pitching prospects.
One of the major topics surrounding the Phillies entering spring training was the development of their top pitching prospects. Andrew Painter, Mick Abel, and Griff McGarry made themselves known over the last year. All three have dominating stuff and the potential to be really good Major League pitchers. This week the Phillies and their fans have had the opportunity to see each one make their first appearance of the spring.
While some fared better than others in their debuts at their first big league camp, each pitcher showed they have the stuff to be effective pitchers.
Andrew Painter
The most hype entering spring training centered around 19 year-old Andrew Painter. Painter began accumulating praise and accolades at the end of the minor league season and it continued through the offseason. Painter is ranked as the sixth best prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.com. The possibility of such a young player making an Opening Day roster has been the hottest topic among the Phillies this spring.
Painter pitched on Wednesday in Ft. Myers against the Minnesota Twins. The young pitcher had his hands full as he faced proven Major League players such as Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo, Max Kepler, and Kyle Farmer. Painter showed his stuff off early as he threw fastballs that registered at 98-99mph to the first few hitters. He had a relatively easy first inning as he surrendered a weak single to Correa and struck out Kepler on a filthy cutter.
Painter ended up giving up three hits in two innings and allowing one run in his first start this spring. All in all, he looked good for his first appearance in Major League camp. It is to be determined when he will pitch again as he has reported some tenderness in his elbow. The Phillies sent him for tests and are hoping it is not anything major.
Mick Abel
Abel is the 48th ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB.com. Abel has been overshadowed by what Painter has been able to do, but he is worth keeping an eye on. Despite a 3.90 ERA last season across two minor league levels, Abel has domineering stuff. In 108 1/3 innings last season, Abel struck out 130 batters. The biggest knock on Abel is his control as he walked 50 batters last season which contributed to his 1.33 WHIP.
Abel is just 21 years-old and these types of struggles are not uncommon for young players like him. He is in the conversation to potentially be a piece the Phillies could use as soon as later this season. The first opportunity to see him pitch for the Phillies was on Friday afternoon. Abel pitched the 6th inning against the Detroit Tigers in Clearwater. Abel allowed one hit and one walk in his outing, but stranded both runners when he was able to get Jermaine Palacios to ground into a double play. The young pitcher did display his velocity as he was able to reach 98mph on the radar gun.
While Abel is not likely to break camp with the Major League club, he should get to see more innings before he is sent to minor league camp.
Griff McGarry
McGarry is the oldest of the three top prospects at 23 years-old. He has unbelievable stuff and can strike batters out. His issue is command. Last season in the minors, McGarry had 53 walks and 130 strikeouts in 87 1/3 innings. Both of the numbers are astounding, one in a good way, one not so much.
McGarry made his spring training debut on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. It was not a pretty outing for the righthander as he allowed five runs on two hits and three walks. The lone positive from his outing was his three-pitch strikeout of Rafael Devers.
McGarry has the potential to see time in Philadelphia this season if he can sharpen his command. One bad spring training outing should not deter anyone from thinking that McGarry can be an effective pitcher, especially with the stuff that he possesses.
All three pitchers are exciting. The Phillies have not had prospects like this in some time. The player development personnel and the pitching coaches throughout the organization have done a really good job helping both veterans and young arms like Painter, Abel, McGarry and a few others. It should be interesting to see how they perform and develop over the course of the spring and the 2023 season.
