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Report: Philadelphia Phillies Promote Andrew Painter, Mick Abel to Double-A Reading

The Philadelphia Phillies have promoted top prospects Andrew Painter and Mick Abel to Double-A Reading.

Author:
Ben Silver
Aug 14, 2022 2:23 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

According to a report by The Athletic's Matt Gelb, the Philadelphia Phillies are promoting their top two prospects to the Double-A Reading Fightin' Phils.

Andrew Painter, the Phillies' top prospect, has put together one of the best pitching seasons in minor league baseball. Over 75 1/3 innings Painter has an ERA of 1.19, his K/9 is 14.1 and he's surrendered only two home runs this year.

At age-19, Painter will be one of the youngest players in Double-A, he was already one of the youngest at High-A. The Phillies' 2021 first-round selection in the MLB Draft will face a challenge moving up so early, the leap from High-A to Double-A is considered the most challenging in the minors. But if his dominance this year has shown anything, it's that Painter is up the challenge.

Abel meanwhile was drafted in the first-round just one year before Painter, but he is almost two years Painter's senior. With an extra year of minor league experience under his belt, there is a little more precedent for Abel's promotion, yet he'll still be much younger than most of his teammates.

This year in 18 starts at High-A, Abel has a 4.01 ERA over 85 1/3 innings. Despite his rather pedestrian ERA, Abel's peripherals tell a different story, and so does his stuff. He has a 10.9 K/9 to a 4.0 BB/9. He's surrendered six home runs on the season.

Abel has an ERA of 3.26 in 19 1/3 innings over his last four starts, and that's including his blowup Friday at Greensboro when he was lifted after just 1 1/3 innings, surrendering four runs.

The Phillies have shown an inclination to keep their trio of top prospects together. They hope Griff McGarry, Abel and Painter will all learn from each other and develop simultaneously.

If Dave Dombrowski's words are anything to go by, perhaps one or more could even be in the big leagues by Opening Day 2023.

"I’ve had no problem pitching guys who are 20 years old and having a lot of success and putting them in the big leagues,” Dombrowski said in an article by Gelb. "And they’re that good that some of those guys could be pitching here.”

But temper expectations, Reading's FirstEnergy Stadium is one of the minor league's most notorious hitter's parks. Add it to the list of challenges Abel and Painter will face in what is sure to be an exciting stint with the Phillies' Double-A affiliate.