Mick Abel

Amateur career

Abel grew up in Cedar Mill, Oregon, and helped the Cedar Mill Little League team win a state title. He attended Jesuit High School, where he played first base and pitched. His sophomore season ended early due to shoulder surgery on his non-throwing arm. As a junior, Abel went 10–0 with a 1.26 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings, batting .294 with 12 runs and 14 RBIs, leading the Crusaders to a state championship.

He was named Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year and a MaxPreps Junior All-American. In 2019, he played for the U-18 United States national baseball team.

Before his senior season, MaxPreps and Baseball America named him a preseason All-American, and he was ranked the fourth best collegiate prospect nationally. He committed to Oregon State University after his freshman year. Though the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, Abel again earned Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year honors.

Professional career

The Philadelphia Phillies selected Abel with the 15th overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft, and he signed for a $4.075 million bonus. He was the highest-selected high school pitcher by the Phillies since Gavin Floyd in 2001. The minor league season was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so Abel did not play that year. He debuted professionally in 2021 with the Low-A Clearwater Threshers, making 14 starts and posting a 1–3 record with a 4.43 ERA, 27 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 44 2/3 innings; a shoulder injury caused him to miss time.

In 2022, he began with the High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws, going 7–8 with a 4.01 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 18 starts before being promoted to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. In his Double-A debut on August 20, he allowed two runs and struck out eight over six innings, earning a win against the Portland Sea Dogs. Abel spent 2024 with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, making 24 starts and struggling to a 3–12 record (leading the league in losses) and a 6.46 ERA with 78 walks (second in the league) and 117 strikeouts across his innings.

On November 19, 2024, the Phillies added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to begin 2025 and later won the International League Pitcher of the Year Award. Abel made his MLB debut as the starting pitcher for the Phillies against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on May 18, 2025, throwing six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and no walks, tying Curt Simmons for the most strikeouts in a Phillies debut since 1901.

Minnesota Twins

In six starts for Philadelphia, he had a 2–2 record and 5.04 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 25 innings. On July 30, 2025, the Phillies traded Abel and Eduardo Tait to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Jhoan Durán.

He made four appearances for the Twins that year, posting a 1–2 record and 8.36 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 14 innings. In 2026, Abel made four appearances (three starts) for Minnesota, compiling a 1–2 record and 3.98 ERA with 23 strikeouts. On June 24, 2026, it was announced that he would require arthroscopic elbow surgery.