First-round pick Abel is a long-term play
Before his first Major League Baseball draft as the Phillies’ new scouting director, Brian Barber tipped his pitch. Potential, he let it be known, would be as valued as readiness.
By Wednesday night, Barber would let his actions match his plans when he made 18-year-old righthanded pitcher Matt Abel a first-round choice, the 15th pick overall.
Touted for having hit 96 on the radar gun by the time he was 15, Abel is 6-5, 185 pounds with a delivery similar to that of Stephen Strasburg, as shown in a draft-night sideby-side video on ESPN.
“It was pretty surreal to be a first-round pick,” Abel said. “And to be the first high school pitcher off the board was really an awesome honor.”
While the first half of the draft was dominated by the selection of college players, some said to be able to help as soon as the upcoming postseason due to projected inflation of rosters and playoff slots, the Phillies’ selection of the pitcher from Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon, was a long-term play.
Barber spent the last 18 seasons in various levels of the Yankees’ developmental system. The emphasis on pitching potential was consistent with the Yankees’ general philosophy and a hint at the influence of former New York catcher and manager Joe Girardi in the organization.
“Unless you’re picking in the first spot, you don’t know for sure who’s going to be there,” said Barber, a former majorleague pitcher. “And picking at 15, you try to come up with someone who has some type of chance to get there.”
With the shutdown of college and high school baseball amid COVID-19 precautions, scouts were forced to place more weight on earlier-career achievements of potential picks. Jesuit did not play an inning this season, not that it prevented Abel from committing to play collegiately at Oregon State.
Abel was attracting widespread attention early in his high school career, but tore his left (non-pitching) labrum late in his sophomore season. He recovered, however, to dazzle as a junior, striking out 111 hitters and leading Jesuit to the Oregon Class 6A state championship.
Abel was 18-3 as a high school pitcher, fanning 213 in 150.2 innings and generated a 1.98 ERA.
“He’s 18,” Barber said. “Every 18-year-old in the world has things to work on. His stuff is not lacking currently. He is going to come in with very good stuff and stuff that we think will just continue to improve over the next few years. But like any 18-yearold there are definitely things that with maturating and time on the mound and experience facing professional hitters will help.
“Every 18-year-old pitcher is not going to be the same pitcher they are when they are 21.”
Barber’s analysis of Abel is consistent with the predraft scouting reports touting his ability to throw multiple pitches.
“Mick is going to come in and for the majority of times he pitches with about a 94 to 97 mile-an-hour fastball,” Barber said. “And he’s able to use his slider as a strikeout pitch. His changeup is not far behind. It’s OK. He’s 18 and it’s going to get better for sure. And most 18-year-olds with that type of fastball and that type of slider probably just don’t use their changeup as much as they’re going to.
“The curveball is a pitch that he’s used in the past and sort of put in his back pocket. And through the pandemic and through the shutdown, he sort of brought it back. And the film and data we’ve seen on that looks really good for future improvement as well.”
In a cost-cutting initiative necessitated by the hiatus, the draft this year will be limited to five rounds. The final four rounds will occur Thursday, though the Phillies agreed to surrender their second-round choice as compensation to the Mets for signing free-agent pitcher Zack Wheeler. The Phils will have the No. 87, 116 and 146 overall picks.
Though Abel is committed to Oregon State, and while financing will not be as freeflowing after the pandemic, Barber is convinced the right-hander will sign with the Phillies.
“We’ve had discussions with him,” Barber said. “We’re confident that we are going to get Mick signed. He’s signed at Oregon State, but we selected the best player on the board and we have full confidence that we are going to get him into the Phillies organization at the end of this process.”
After so many years in the Yankees organization, where strong finishes typically meant low first-round draft choices, Barber was encouraged Wednesday to pick at No. 15.
Soon, though, he expects better.
“It’s a
different
pool
of players you’re looking at in the middle of first round vs. the end of first round,” he said. “I hope we get to the point of picking at 30 every year, because that means the major-league club is doing really good. I’ll be hoping for the day again that I’m back in that situation.”
He believes he made a move in that direction Wednesday.
“Mick has outstanding makeup and an above average repertoire of pitches for someone his age,” Barber said. “He really knows how to compete, especially with his fastball. We believe he has a bright future with us.”
• • •
Of the 37 picks in the first round and first competitive balance round, 12 were high schoolers. Two hailed from Pennsylvania.
Austin Hendrick, from West Allegheny High, was picked
12th overall by the Cincinnati Reds. The 6-0, 195-pound lefthanded outfielder is a Mississippi State signee.
Central Bucks East’s Nick Bitsko went 24th overall to Tampa Bay. The 6-4,
225-pound right-handed pitcher reclassified from
2021 to 2020. The University of Virginia signee is not yet
18 years old.