During my first week out in the Pacific Northwest in February of 2019, I was spending time with National Crosschecker and Portland  resident Shooter Hunt. We were discussing plans for the upcoming spring and going back and forth on which teams, players and match-ups we were going to check out.

During the exchange, Shooter made a comment that will always stick with me:

“I need to go see Mick Abel pitch for Jesuit because he might throw 100 mph one day.”

16 months later, Mick Abel is now a 1st round pick after being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies at 15th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft.

The fact that Abel was able to cement himself as a 1st round talent without the benefit of pitching a single inning during his senior year of HS speaks volumes about his track record of development and performance. 

Here are some of the best moments from Abel that we were able to capture over the last few years.

mick Abel (Jesuit)

march 19, 2018

Popped in for a home game in Portland to check out highly-touted @BeaverBaseball ‘20 RHP Mick Abel. Struggled a bit to find his slot, but has been 90-93 w/ 79-82 slider. Nice sequence here to strand a runner w/ a punch out @prepbaseball pic.twitter.com/oKBoWukTFP

— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) March 20, 2018

August 7, 2018

‘20 RHP Mick Abel (@BeaverBaseball) has been outstanding so far. 88-92 with the fastball & also going to a mid-80s chng to a heavy LHH lineup. Flashes feel for 80 mph slider. Much better rhythm than when I saw him this spring. Impressive looking prospect out of Oregon pic.twitter.com/tXJvq42art

— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) August 7, 2018

March 13, 2019

6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K
"The Oregon State recruit was stellar over six 1-hit innings as he struck out 12 Saxon batters without allowing a run, in what would end up an 8-0 victory for the Crusaders. Blazing fastballs up to 96 mph that exploded through the zone, Abel was untouchable as he sat mostly 92-94 throughout his first start of the year. Though it was more control over command with the pitch, as he looked to throw the ball by each batter that stepped to the plate, Abel was able to manipulate some sink when going to the arm side, and showed the ability to go in on some hitters late in counts. His slider flashed as an above average offering that he varied the shape of at 82-86. Firmly thrown at times with more cutting action, the best one that he threw came on a strikeout in the middle innings at 82 mph, and exhibited tilt with late-break on multiple planes. It was a true swing-and-miss pitch. Abel demonstrated feel for throwing it for strikes, and he threw it early in counts as well as when putting hitters away late. He also flashed a few change-ups at 88-89 that still look to be developing. The long-limbed, 6-foot-5, 190-pounder oozes projection on the frame, and while he was poised throughout each inning, he showed some good emotion after making some big pitches in a display of competitiveness. The arm works whippy-loose and quick, delivering out of a high ¾ slot to create a downward plane through the zone. There is plenty to dream on for the future as Abel continues to develop, and should he continue the dominance seen in game one against one of the top teams in the state, Jesuit could end up being a very difficult team to deal with late in the season." - Shooter Hunt

April 23, 2019

7 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
"Abel allowed 1 hit in a 7 inning, CG effort. He walked 3 and struck out 9 while only allowing 1 unearned run. The lanky, projectable righty came out in the 1st inning with the same impressive velo we’ve become accustomed to seeing. FB sat comfortably at  92-94 and peaked at 95 with impressive life out of his hand. Eventually settled in at 89-92 in the later innings and showed considerable run in the bottom of the zone. SL continues to be an above average offering with sharp, late bite at 82-85. In addition to the 9 strikeouts, Abel was generated 9 ground ball outs against 0 fly outs. His defense turned 3 double plays behind him. It was one of the better outings we’ve seen in terms of Abel maintaining control of the bottom of the strike zone and inducing weak contact. He’ll continue to be a tough match-up for opposing offenses this spring and there’s still a considerable amount of potential for him to tap into." - Jurik 

june 1, 2019

8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K - State Championship Game
"Thru 3 innings, Abel sat 91-93 with his FB and topped at 94. In his 6th inning of work, he was consistently holding 93 from the stretch while his SL held at 82-85. We've seen several starts this spring from the talented junior but this was by far his most consistent and effective outing." - Jurik 

July 3, 2019

"Abel is squarely in the conversation as one of the top high school pitchers in the 2020 class. That was evident Thursday as the Oregon State recruit closed things out for Team Jones, pumping 91-95 mph fastballs with extreme ease. His delivery is loose and athletic and he also mixed in a slider that was inconsistent, but ranged from 82-86. In three innings of work, he struck out three. He allowed a run on three hits and a hit batter. Only one of the hits was strong contact." - Nathan Rode

august 5, 2019

"Abel didn’t have his best fastball, but was still 89-93 and flashed an above average slider and change-up. The slider flashed late bite at 82-84 and the change-up has fade at 83-84. He struck out four and allowed two hits and two walks in two innings." - Nathan Rode

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Heading into the Draft, we had Abel ranked as the 10th best draft prospect on our PBR Draft Board. We had him mocked to go 17th overall to the Red Sox in our final mock draft so our prediction wasn't too far off. 

For our more on the MLB Draft, check out our full article on Day One Highlights