August 07, 2024
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports
Can Mick Abel finish 2024 strong and live up to the hype of a first-round pick?
The trade deadline has come and gone, with the Phillies making four moves that they believe will bolster their chances of winning a World Series and becoming a sustainable juggernaut.
While Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski did deal one hitting prospect -- 19-year-old infielder William Bergolla -- the most significant changes to the team's farm system in the last few weeks impacted its starting pitching depth.
So, how does the Phillies' starting pitching pipeline look heading into the remainder of 2024 and beyond?
The Phillies were thrilled to land closer Carlos Estévez in a deal with the Los Angeles Angels, as they added the best right-handed reliever on the market to fortify the back end of their bullpen. But, particularly for a potential rental, the price was steep, as the Phillies were forced to give up two quality starting pitching prospects.
• George Klassen, a sixth-round draft pick from 2023, was the Phillies' strongest breakout prospect this year, dominating in Single-A and catapulting himself into consideration as a top-100 prospect in all of baseball. Klassen has collected massive strikeout numbers in the minor leagues while the Phillies enabled him to harness his stuff and improve the brutal command that originally caused his draft stock to plummet. In his first start with the Angels organization at Single-A, Klassen allowed one earned run in five innings and struck out 10.
• Samuel Aldegheri, a 22-year-old left-handed starter from Italy, does not have the sort of nasty strikeout stuff that Klassen does, but he gets by without it. Aldegheri was the lesser of the two arms sent to the Angels for Estévez, but he is a very real prospect with a chance to become a major-league starter. Across 15 starts for the Phillies in High-A and Double-A this season, Aldegheri owned a 3.23 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.
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Giving up two quality pitching prospects soon after choosing not to select any arms with their top picks in the 2024 MLB Draft is a slight concern, but the Phillies were able to add reinforcements from the Baltimore Orioles in the Gregory Soto trade.
• The team added Double-A starting pitcher Seth Johnson, a right-hander who is now on the team's 40-man roster. Johnson will be 26 years old by the end of the season. Of course, one would prefer someone of his age to be closer to the majors, but adding a starter with an actual chance of becoming a big-leaguer at some point after dealing away Klassen and Aldegheri was crucial. Johnson only lasted 3.2 innings and allowed three earned runs in his first start within the organization at Double-A Reading, but posted a 2.63 ERA in his 18 starts with Baltimore's Double-A affiliate in 2024 prior to the trade.
• The Soto trade also brought the Phillies 21-year-old Single-A pitcher Moisés Chace, whose line in his debut with the organization at High-A Jersey Shore was nearly identical to that of Johnson, as he also allowed three earned runs in 3.2 innings. Chace is very much a work in progress as far as his command is concerned, but he has racked up plenty of strikeouts in the minors. In 52.0 innings pitched (nine starts) for Baltimore's High-A affiliate, Chace struck out 76 batters but also allowed 30 walks.
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While Klassen and Aldegheri were prized pieces of the Phillies' farm system on the pitching side, the real key names are still in place.
• Andrew Painter continues to recover from Tommy John Surgery and will likely miss two full seasons in all, but the Phillies' top overall prospect -- universally thought to be the best pitching prospect in baseball before his surgery -- will still only be 21 years old on Opening Day in 2025 (April 10, 2025 will be Painter's 22nd birthday). Most evaluators seem to agree that Painter can be a true front-line starter at a very young age.
• In 2020, the year before the team hit a home run by drafting Painter at No. 13 overall, it selected a different high school pitcher, Mick Abel, at No. 15 overall. Abel was promoted to Triple-A for one appearance last year, and the hope was that in 2024 he could prove in Lehigh Valley that he was nearing a major-league call-up. That is not what happened. Abel's command has regressed considerably and he is giving up tons of hits in an absolute nightmare season at Triple-A. In 17 starts this season (77.0 innings pitched), Abel has a 6.66 ERA and 1.83 WHIP with 58 walks.
• One pitching prospect who has impressed in 2024 is Double-A right-hander Jean Cabrera. Cabrera recently earned a promotion from High-A, where in 14 starts the 21-year-old posted a 3.39 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 77.0 innings pitched with 91 strikeouts to just 25 walks.
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