Top prospects Andrew Painter, Mick Abel promoted to Reading Fightin Phils

Brian Smith, Reading Eagle, Pa.
·3 min read
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Aug. 15—The Philadelphia Phillies are promoting their top two prospects — right-handed pitchers Andrew Painter and Mick Abel — to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic first reported the moves. Jim Salisbury of NBCSports Philadelphia later reported confirmation from Preston Mattingly, the Phillies' director of player development.

The 19-year-old Painter, the Phillies' top selection in last year's draft with the 13th overall pick, is ranked as Philadelphia's top prospect and 50th overall by MLB Pipeline.

Abel, who turns 21 on Thursday, was taken with the 15th overall pick by the Phillies in the 2020 draft. He is ranked No. 2 in the Phillies organization and 52nd in baseball by MLB Pipeline.

Painter has combined to go 4-1 with a 1.19 ERA in 17 games, all starts, for low Single-A Clearwater and high Single-A Jersey Shore this season. In 75.1 innings, he has struck out 118 and walked 23. He's allowed just 5.0 hits per nine innings and is striking out 14.1 per nine. Opponents have hit .158 against him.

For the BlueClaws, he went 3-0 with a 0.98 ERA in eight starts, striking out 49 and walking seven in 36.2 innings. In his final seven starts, he allowed one earned run in 33.2 innings (0.27 ERA) with 45 strikeouts and four walks.

In his last three starts, the 6-7, 215-pound Painter allowed no runs in 20 innings, going 3-0. He struck out 25 and walked three. Opponents hit .155 against him.

He pitched seven shutout innings Saturday, allowed four hits, striking out nine and walking one. He threw a career-high 93 pitches.

Abel has spent his entire season at Jersey Shore, going 7-8 with a 4.01 ERA in 18 games, all starts. In 85.1 innings, he has struck out 103 (10.9 per nine) and walked 38. He allowed 7.9 hits per nine innings; opponents hit .230 against him.

He struggled in his last start Friday, allowing six runs, four earned, on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. But in his two before that, the 6-5, 190-pound Abel combined for 12 shutout innings, allowing seven hits, striking out 18 and walking five.

With the additions of Painter and Abel, Reading will have six of Philadelphia's top 10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, on its roster. The others are outfielder Johan Rojas, No. 3; right-hander Griff McGarry, No. 7; left-hander Erik Miller, No. 9; and outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz, No. 10.

Players drafted last month have not been added to the list.

Painter and Abel will reunite with McGarry, 23, who was promoted to Reading from Jersey Shore last month. He has gone 0-2 with a 2.01 ERA in five starts for the Fightins. He was selected in the fifth round of last year's draft.

In Sunday's game at Harrisburg's FNB Field, the Senators scored four runs in the 10th to beat the Fightin Phils 7-6.

The Fightins (19-20 second half, 48-60) had scored three in the top of the 10th on a two-run single by Wendell Rijo and a single by Aldrem Corredor, both with one out.

The Senators (13-26, 43-65) opened the bottom of the inning with three straight singles — the first knocking in the runner who opened on second base — to load the bases against Matt Seelinger (2-2). After Seelinger walked Daniel Johnson to make it 6-5, he was replaced by McKinley Moore.

Trey Harris ended it with a two-run double on a 2-2 pitch.

Reading, which split the six-game series, scored single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings to go up 3-0. Harrisburg tied it with single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.

Kevin Vicuna went 2-for-5 with a triple and Carlos De La Cruz was 2-for-5 for the Fightins. Rijo had three RBIs and Jonathan Guzman two.