Phillies prospects update: Andrew Painter, Mick Abel working to pitch deeper in games

In late July, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he had “no problem” calling up a 20-year-old pitching prospect to the big leagues. A few weeks later, the Phillies promoted 21-year-old Mick Abel and 19-year-old Andrew Painter to double-A Reading, an indication they might get their call-ups sooner rather than later.

It was an aggressive move, but warranted. Painter has quickly established himself as one of the best pitching prospects in the game. He has a 1.11 ERA over 18 starts across three levels (low-A Clearwater, high-A Jersey Shore, double A), and pitched six shutout innings of three-hit ball with eight strikeouts in his Reading debut on Sunday in an 8-0 win over Portland.

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Abel’s numbers aren’t quite as sterling — a 3.94 ERA through 19 starts with Jersey Shore and Reading — but he has shown improved command this season, and the Phillies believe his stuff can play. With Painter lighting up the radar gun only 70 miles away from Citizens Bank Park, much of the spotlight has landed on him. But, in an interview with the Inquirer, Phillies director of player development Preston Mattingly offered a few more names to keep an eye on while also sharing insight on how the Phillies plan to manage Abel and Painter at double A.

Mattingly said Painter and Abel will continue to pitch once a week, like they did at Jersey Shore. They will still be asked to pitch deeper into games, but they don’t want to push them too hard.

Aside from length, the focus at this next level will be using more of their pitches. Painter and Abel tend to rely on their fastball-slider combination. Mattingly would like them to mix in some of their breaking balls.

“Andy, to me, the fastball and slider have gotten better and better,” Mattingly said. “He’s taking the challenge of breaking-ball development head-on, and his breaking ball has taken major steps forward. I think for him, we’d like to see him use all four of his pitches because he is a guy that even though he can overpower guys with the fastball-slider combo, he has a good curveball and changeup.

“We’d like to see him use all four of those pitches. He still uses the curveball and changeup at times. I just think we’d like to see him use them a little bit more. And I think at this higher level he’ll be forced to, just because of the quality of the hitters.”

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Abel has made one start at Reading, allowing four hits and two earned runs (on two solo homers) in six innings, with eight strikeouts and one walk in a 4-3 victory over Portland on Saturday. Mattingly has similar goals for him as he does Painter, but said Abel’s path has been a bit different.

“With Mick, a lot of it is getting him deep into games, but I think now we’re focusing on the same thing, he has four really good pitches,” Mattingly said. “He’s gone heavy fastball-slider. I think continuing to hone into the fastball command and where his stuff plays in the zone. He’s had a little bit of a different run than Painter has, being drafted in the COVID year. He didn’t get exposed to pitching deep in high school games because he didn’t have a high school season, and he didn’t get to pitch much last year because he had mechanical stuff he was working through.

“So I think with Mick, we’d like to see him pitch deep into games and learn who he is as a pitcher. We can educate these guys as much as we want, but until they buy into it, it’s a challenge. By going out there and learning where his fastball plays, and how to put guys away with two strikes, why his changeup is a good pitch to use versus the curveball, I think him learning that in games, versus really good hitters, is beneficial.”

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Moving up in the system means that Painter and Abel will be asked to face hitters who are six, seven, or eight years older than them. It will be a challenge at times, but the Phillies wouldn’t have promoted them if they didn’t believe they were ready.

“They’re going to be challenged, just like Griff [McGarry] has been challenged,” Mattingly said, referring to the Reading right-hander who started the year at Jersey Shore. “We’re well aware that Andy and Mick could struggle a little bit when they’re 20 years old, 19 years old, playing against guys that are 26 or 27 years old. And we’re fine with that. Because we think they’re made right. They can handle it. And if they struggle in the short time they’re there, they’ll know, this is what I have to work on during the offseason to get better. And they’ll come back next year ready to attack the league.

“Anybody that’s seen Mick and Andy, they’re two really talented guys. No matter what level you’re playing at, in pro baseball, the mound is 60 feet, 6 inches away, and talent plays. You could throw these guys in any league and their stuff will compete. And I know they’re going to do that at the highest level. That’s why, as an organization, we were comfortable sending them there.”

Estanista is a 6-foot-3, 20-year-old from Curacao. He’s playing with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Phillies after playing in the Dominican Summer League in 2021. He has a 2.01 ERA through 12 games (five starts) with 35 strikeouts in 31⅓ innings. Mattingly said his fastball is already up to 98 mph. The big focus for Estanista for now is breaking-ball development — the Phillies are trying to get more sweep to it — but Mattingly said it’s already taken “huge jumps.”

“He has a chance to be a starter,” Mattingly said. “He’s still learning to pitch, and developing the breaking ball, but he’s got a really special arm, and his work ethic is second to none.”

The Phillies signed the 26-year-old Penn State product in 2018 and he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021. Because of Lehman’s injury history, the Phillies are trying to slowly move him up level by level, and he has had success at every stop. Lehman has a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings at four levels in 2022, and is now pitching with double-A Reading and has a 2.00 ERA in eight relief appearances totaling nine innings.

“To me, [the most impressive thing is] the pure physicality of Taylor,” Mattingly said of the 6-8, 240-pound pitcher. “And then the ability to separate his two breaking balls. He’s got two really good breaking balls, the slider and the curveball. And his fastball is up to 96 mph.”

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The Phillies selected Boyd, a 19-year-old outfielder out of Batesville, Miss., in the 11th round of the 2022 draft. Mattingly said he was a “big name” in the high school circuit who is a more polished player than he gets credit for being. Boyd is listed at 6-1, 177, and was asked to put on some weight when he arrived at the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater in early August. He’s already gained 12 pounds of muscle. In eight games for the FCL Phillies, he is batting .333 with six stolen bases.

“He’s an 80 runner in scouting terms,” Mattingly said. “The defense in center field has a chance to be elite, and he makes a lot of contact. Puts the ball in play. He’s a guy who has a chance to hit for average, and once he gets stronger, the chance to hit for power, too.”

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