ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Mick Abel, the former Phillies first-round draft pick, couldn’t hold back his smile when asked about his new neighbor in the Coca-Cola Park clubhouse.
The right-hander’s locker is right next to the one occupied by Garrett Stubbs, the fan-favorite veteran catcher who’s starting the season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Abel, 23, pitched for the IronPigs last year and has not been able to find his footing during his time in the Phillies’ system. He’ll help welcome Stubbs to his new home as they both strive for a positive season and an eventual call to Philadelphia.
“I’m excited,” Abel said Wednesday at the team’s preseason media day. “I’m excited that he’s here.”
Stubbs, 31, is back in the minor leagues for the first time since 2021 after spending the previous three seasons with the Phillies as J.T. Realmuto’s backup. He had a minor-league option remaining entering the year, and Rafael Marchan, a backstop with injury problems who’s stood out in a few major-league opportunities, did not. The Phillies could send Stubbs down to Triple-A without exposing him to waivers, but not Marchan. It made the choice obvious.
Now, Stubbs is starting the 2025 season in the Lehigh Valley, where he’ll play more regularly for the first time in a while and catch young pitchers like Abel, Michael Mercado and Max Lazar with a chance for Andrew Painter to stop by down the line. He’ll work with the veterans arms as well, keeping in touch with the big-league coaching staff as the club monitors potential depth call-ups. Sure, Stubbs would rather be playing with the Phillies, but he’ll still bring his energy and devotion to his current situation.
“Selfishly, I love it,” IronPigs manager Anthony Contreras said. “For him, I’m sure he obviously wants to be up in the big leagues. But we’ve had many conversations, and his head is in a good spot. He’s here to work and get himself better, along with helping this staff and the team in general just kind of progress and get through the season safely and successfully.
“He’s a veteran presence, and he’s played the game at a high level. He’s seen how it’s done at the big-league level and caught (Zack) Wheeler, (Aaron) Nola, guys like that. And he’s going to lean on that experience to help this staff out.”
Stubbs is willing to use that major-league track record to assist his new teammates. He’s collaborated closely with a star-studded Phillies rotation over the last few seasons, coordinating game plans with starters like Wheeler, Nola and Cristopher Sánchez. He’s seen how productive big leaguers prepare. He’s not going to ram that information down the IronPigs players’ throats, but he’s ready to offer any advice that’s requested.
“I’m not really a pusher,” Stubbs said. “… I don’t think that going and tapping somebody on the shoulder and grabbing them and trying to push them in a certain direction is going to get much out of somebody. So for me, I’m here as a resource. I want to help every single guy in this locker room, whether it’s a pitcher, a position player or one of our other catchers. I’m here as more of an open book, and I’m never gonna try to insert myself into somebody’s career. So I would love to help anybody in any way I can.”
Abel and some of the other young pitchers will likely take him up on that. Abel said there are “probably a lot of things” to ask Stubbs about, including how Wheeler and Nola sequence their mix of pitches in a game. But what could be most useful is learning more about how the major leaguers handle their business and form a routine away from the mound.
“I think the more important ones I’m going to ask,” Abel said, “are just kind of about: How do these guys go about their days when it’s not their day to pitch? What do they look like those four days in between their starts that makes them who they are as pitchers?”
Finding that sort of reliable routine could be a huge step in Abel’s development. Contreras emphasized maturity as a key for the right-hander in 2025, and mastering his preparation would be a great sign. Abel, the 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft, has struggled to throw quality strikes and keep his confidence at points throughout his career. He had a 6.46 ERA in 24 starts for Lehigh Valley last season. Building a personal schedule that’s professional and repeatable could help him establish a better baseline.
Although it’s been tough, Abel’s lackluster performance has never been due to a lack of effort. Stubbs has seen him working hard at spring training over the years and has been impressed with how he carries himself.
“When you’re a first rounder, there’s a lot of pressure,” Stubbs said. “People love to put that pressure, including the media, including the coaches, and players that are around in the locker room obviously have expectations of guys that get drafted like that. At the end of the day, after you get drafted and you come into pro ball, everyone’s on the same playing field, right? And Mick knows that, and he’s been going out there and grinding his nuts off to be the best player that he possibly can.”
While Abel’s numbers did not really improve as the 2024 season went on, his mindset took strides compared to earlier in the year. He said he “redefined what success looks like” to himself and stopped letting the results mean everything. Now, he’s focused on “having fun and executing pitches.” There are reasons for the Phillies to hope that coming off a full offseason with that attitude — and some lessons from his lively batterymate — could help salvage his status as a prospect going forward.
“When it comes to Mick,” Stubbs said, “I think that he, along with everybody else in this locker room, is trying to get to the big leagues, and it’s going to be a lot of fun just working with him and seeing how he can get better, how I can get better, with knowing the things that he’s trying to work on.
“And I fully expect him to have one of, if not the best season of his career this year, just because it’s another year to get better. And every year I’ve seen him grow as a human being and as a player. So it’ll be fun to watch.”
