© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Two Phillies Appear On Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects List
Another day, another baseball writer releasing their top 100 MLB prospect rankings.
This time it's The Athletic's Keith Law ranking the top 100, with Baltimore Orioles’ catching prospect Adley Rutschman coming in at no. 1.
Although the Phillies' farm system is lacking, two names that have continually emerged in most top 100 lists are shortstop Bryson Stott and right handed pitcher Mick Abel.
Law has Stott ranked at no. 66, which is about in line where Baseball America placed him, at no. 67. However, Baseball Prospectus dropped the 24-year-old to no. 93 in their rankings.
Stott was previously unranked in Law's 2021 list. Law projects Stott to lose some offensive production when called up to the majors, but still be an everyday guy who hits in the .280-.290 range, with 15+ home runs, and a "strong" OBP.
Law also discusses Stott's defense having "good range in both directions" and "enough arm to throw from the hole." All of this and more makes Stott a valuable player, particularly at the shortstop position, something Philadelphia desperately needs.
It's promising for the Phillies to see their 14th overall pick in 2019 having impressed enough offensively in his minor league career to be in the top 100, a list sprinkled with an abundance of talent throughout all of Major League Baseball.
Coming in at no. 91 is Abel, Philadelphia's 15th overall pick in 2020. Abel previously just missed Law's 2021 list.
Law cites the 20-year-old's struggles with command and control in Clearwater this past season, but overall saw some improvement in his stuff. There was noticeable improvement in his changeup, which Law says became a "real weapon" for him last year.
"All of his off speed pitches show you enough now to project them as future plus pitches, with the changeup already there or very close to it," Law wrote. "He has good carry on the fastball and occasionally gets a little cut to it, so it also plays up against left-handed batters."
He's a "four-pitch guy" working 92-95 regularly as a starter, but has peaked at 97-98 in shorter outings. However, Abel's walks per nine at 5.4 was a concern, but this number was inflated by his walking 13 batters in 14 innings in his last few starts.
This could have been due in part to Abel's shoulder injury that subsequently ended his 2021. Phillies president Dave Dombrowski said this was only an abundance of caution on the team's part, and their esteemed pitching prospect should be good to go for minor league spring training this season.
More From SI's Inside The Phillies:
- How Did These Former Phillies Do on the Hall of Fame Ballot?
- What If Ryan Howard Never Tore His Achilles?
- Should the Phillies Pursue this Trade With Milwaukee?
Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Facebook and Twitter!
