Report: Top prospects Abel, Painter promoted to Double-A

Top Phillies prospects Mick Abel and Andrew Painter will be moving up to Double-A, according to a Sunday afternoon report by The Athletic‘s Matt Gelb. The former first-round picks have been placed on the development list for High-A Jersey Shore and will join the Reading Fightin Phils this week, continuing what’s been a breakout year for the pair of right-handers.

Abel, 20, has spent the entire season with the BlueClaws after pitching for Low-A Clearwater the year prior. The 2020 first rounder has posted a 4.01 ERA in 18 starts, tossing 85 1/3 innings and striking out 10.9 batters per nine.

The 19-year-old Painter, a first-round selection in the 2021 draft, has impressed even further as he’s risen from Clearwater, to Jersey Shore and now to Reading in his first full professional season. In 17 starts across two levels, the hard-throwing righty has a staggering 1.19 ERA in 75 1/3 innings while striking out 14.1 batters per nine.

With Reading set to return home to FirstEnergy Stadium for a six-game series against Portland, Abel and Painter will get their first taste of Baseballtown soon. There the duo will join right-hander Griff McGarry, a fifth rounder last year, in the starting rotation, bringing the three most promising pitchers in the Philadelphia system together in the upper levels of the minors.

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