How New Pitching Prospect Mick Abel Can Be Minnesota Twins' Next Joe Ryan

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

When the Twins acquired Joe Ryan in the Nelson Cruz trade, he was an overlooked arm in the Tampa Bay Rays system. His minor league numbers were strong, but he was blocked from breaking into a rotation stacked with established big-league arms. The Rays moved him, and the Twins reaped the rewards.

Now, the organization hopes to strike gold again. Mick Abel, the 23-year-old right-hander acquired from Philadelphia in the Jhoan Duran trade, found himself in a similar situation. The Phillies’ rotation featured Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, and Ranger Suarez, leaving little room for a young starter to break through. Minnesota saw an opportunity to add a talented arm whose timeline and development could align perfectly with their long-term plans.

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll recently discussed Abel’s background on Inside Twins. “He’s still just 23 years old. He’s pitching at Triple-A. The biggest thing Mick has improved upon this year is improving his strike throwing, and that’s really been helpful for him to take another step.”

 

Abel’s repertoire is as promising as it is electric. “[His] fastball averages 96, has touched 99, curveball and changeup are really good swing and miss pitches for him,” Zoll said. Those weapons make him a strong fit for a Twins staff that values high-velocity heaters paired with secondaries that can miss bats.

He’s also showing progress in key areas after repeating Triple-A in 2025. Last season, he posted a 22.7% strikeout rate and a 15.1% walk rate over 108 2/3 innings. This year, his strikeout rate is up by 4.6 percentage points, and his walk rate is down by four. His strike percentage has climbed from just under 60% to 63.3%. Those incremental gains are meaningful and signal that his adjustments are paying off.

The slider remains a development priority. “I think some opportunities for us to help him refine his slider a little bit more and make that a little bit more of a weapon against righties,” Zoll explained. “For him, it’s really just keep getting innings under your belt and make sure you are as prepared as possible. He got a cameo of sorts at the big-league level earlier this year, and we want to make sure he can keep pushing forward developmentally to take that next step.”

 

There are already signs of improvement. His slider velocity has jumped from an average of 84.4 mph last season to 86.4 mph in 2025, and hitters are offering at it more often. His swing rate against the pitch has increased from 43.9% to 47.4%, helping him generate more whiffs. Even so, the Twins know the leap from Triple-A to the majors remains steep, and they want to make sure Abel has fully adjusted to his new organization before taking it.

Some fans have questioned why Abel has not been promoted immediately. Zoll said the decision is about more than just performance. “When a player is traded to a new organization, their whole world is turned upside down,” he explained. “For all these guys, we talked about a lot of different things. How to get them acclimated into the organization. How to give them the best runway to try and take a long-term view and set them up for success for years to come.”

That means resisting the urge to rush. “If you put them right at the big-league level, they are going to feel that extra pressure to perform for their new teammates,” Zoll said. “All these expectations that they may be putting on themselves. So, allow them to settle in.”

The Twins believe Abel’s development path could mirror Ryan’s in 2021. In the short term, he will continue to make starts in Triple-A while focusing on minor refinements that could pay big dividends. As Zoll summarized, “In Mick’s case, get a few more starts under his belt, see if we can help him make a few of those tweaks to really catapult him for the long-term here.”

If Abel’s progress continues, the Twins might once again find themselves with a rotation anchor who only needed the right opportunity to shine.

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Can Abel turn into the next Ryan? What is his biggest improvement area? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[dxpavelka]

If Mick Abel becomes Joe Ryan then Trade Deadline 2025 becomes a success.  Unless we trade Joe Ryan.

[thelanges5]

Pablo, Ryan, Ober, Matthews, Abel in 2026 - sounds good, let’s go!

[Doctor Wu]

16 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Pablo, Ryan, Ober, Matthews, Abel in 2026 - sounds good, let’s go!

And please, let's keep Lopez and Ryan. I'm already tired of reading posts from people that "expect" that the Twins will trade one or both of those pitchers in the off-season. At this point, why? I don't think the Twins are far away from competing again and we need strong  pitchers like Lopez and Ryan at the top of the rotation. And yes, hopefully guys like Abel or Matthews or even Taj Bradley will take the next step and give us a truly formidable rotation. It's well within the realm of possibility and I'm excited about that happening. 

[MinnInPa]

Twins desire pitchers with velocity and secondary pitches that miss bats ??? where have they been for the last decade??? from what i see Twins pitchers are required to throw it right down the pike and dont you dare walk anyone

[TwinsDr2021]

53 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Pablo, Ryan, Ober, Matthews, Abel in 2026 - sounds good, let’s go!

In 25, wasn't it Pablo, Ryan, Ober, SWR, Paddack, Festa and Matthews? And the rest of the team has gotten worse, How will 26 be any different, other than the two untested guys you mention? 

[tony&rodney]

32 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

And please, let's keep Lopez and Ryan. I'm already tired of reading posts from people that "expect" that the Twins will trade one or both of those pitchers in the off-season. At this point, why? I don't think the Twins are far away from competing again and we need strong  pitchers like Lopez and Ryan at the top of the rotation. And yes, hopefully guys like Abel or Matthews or even Taj Bradley will take the next step and give us a truly formidable rotation. It's well within the realm of possibility and I'm excited about that happening. 

It is frustrating to read that the Twins may complete the trading frenzy this winter. However, a quick look over the roster makes it obvious the position side needs help. The ownership situation is a huge determining factor in what happens from October to March as well. The Pohlads will want payroll reduced. Thus, the expensive and increasingly expensive Lopez, Ryan, and Ober along with Jeffers become the most likely personnel that accomplishes two goals - reducing payroll and adding position players. 

Abel could be a solid rotation arm as soon as next year. I would not dismiss any future possibilities of success for any of some others: Woods Richardson, Festa, Matthews, and Morris. After watching Bradley last night I'm a little hesitant to think he belongs. I'm miffed why Jax wasn't able to return a better option. Watching the Twins, we can all see they need better position players who can field and get on base or otherwise contribute towards scoring runs. 

[nicholas Anderson]

Why waste bullets in the minors, let him make his tweaks, and take his lumps across town

 

[Otaknam]

The difference between the two is the Ryan has always been a strike thrower, while Abel is not. According to this article, he is improving his command. But the big leagues are littered with guys who had great stuff but had a hard time throwing strikes and thus flamed out. Tait is likely three years away. And while he is a very promising prospect, the success of this trade depends mostly on Abel becoming a viable starter. If not, the trade of Duran that weakens the team will be another black mark on the FO. 

[DJL44]

Quote

Some fans have questioned why Abel has not been promoted immediately. Zoll said the decision is about more than just performance. “When a player is traded to a new organization, their whole world is turned upside down,” he explained. “For all these guys, we talked about a lot of different things. How to get them acclimated into the organization. How to give them the best runway to try and take a long-term view and set them up for success for years to come.”

That means resisting the urge to rush. “If you put them right at the big-league level, they are going to feel that extra pressure to perform for their new teammates,” Zoll said. “All these expectations that they may be putting on themselves. So, allow them to settle in.”

There is a lot of BS in this statement. If they said outright what they're doing the union would file a grievance.

[sun]

Whether he becomes a winner or not, I look forward to seeing him get his feet wet in the bigs. It looks like he has a live arm & can make up for some of hose who were traded. I hope the FO gives him a shot soon.

[TwinsDr2021]

 Not sure where to put this but the Star Trib is reporting the Pohlad's aren't selling but instead bringing int two minority owners. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

There is a lot of BS in this statement. If they said outright what they're doing the union would file a grievance.

Plus other guys move to their new team right away. This is total BS .

If Abel is ever a good starter for two years in a row I'll be surprised. 

[joefish]

He needs to hide his grip better than in that photo. 

[old nurse]

4 hours ago, DJL44 said:

There is a lot of BS in this statement. If they said outright what they're doing the union would file a grievance.

Service time is not an issue as he has about 31 days of service time with the Phillies. Had he spent 2 months with the Twins it would not change much. If he pitched so well as a super 2 to get a big raise, they would be ecstatic 

[old nurse]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Plus other guys move to their new team right away. This is total BS .

If Abel is ever a good starter for two years in a row I'll be surprised. 

He was in the minors for most of July

Abel.

July 4, 2025Philadelphia Phillies optioned RHP Mick Abel to Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

June 4, 2025Philadelphia Phillies recalled RHP Mick Abel from Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

[twinstalker]

4 hours ago, DJL44 said:

There is a lot of BS in this statement. If they said outright what they're doing the union would file a grievance.

The union would file a grievance for what?  What do you think the Twins are doing with Mick Abel?  Four months in the Twins picked up a player with one month's service time.  Bringing him up would make no appreciable difference in service time-related issues.  He wasn't going to be a super two.  Next year, either way, he'll be a guy with less than half a season of service time and six more under team control.  Plus he was in the minors when they traded for him, and all incentives are to put their return on display.

If they were going to mess with a guy, it would have been Keaschall, who actually will be a super two now.

[NYCTK]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Plus other guys move to their new team right away. This is total BS .

If Abel is ever a good starter for two years in a row I'll be surprised. 

Seems like a lot of people here just want all these prospects called up to the majors so they can **** on them. 

Roden, sucks. Kendry, sucks. Abel, sucks. Tait, sucks. Bradley, sucks. 

4 months ago we heard the same chorus about Varland, Bader, Jax, etc. 

 

[Larry Janisewski]

6 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

And please, let's keep Lopez and Ryan. I'm already tired of reading posts from people that "expect" that the Twins will trade one or both of those pitchers in the off-season. At this point, why? I don't think the Twins are far away from competing again and we need strong  pitchers like Lopez and Ryan at the top of the rotation. And yes, hopefully guys like Abel or Matthews or even Taj Bradley will take the next step and give us a truly formidable rotation. It's well within the realm of possibility and I'm excited about that happening. 

I'm not concerned about the pitching. It's the offense that needs serious improvement. The first 2 games of the struggling Yankees the Twins combine to put up a total of 4 hits. Last night the last 3 batters in the lineup had averages of .130, .186, and .167.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, twinstalker said:

The union would file a grievance for what?  What do you think the Twins are doing with Mick Abel?

Fair enough on Abel. More of an issue with Bradley. Do they really think Jose Urena is a better option than Abel or Bradley?

[DocBauer]

Abel being similar to Ryan is OK as a premise, but not entirely accurate. It's accurate to the point there was no room on the ML club for them. But it's inaccurate as Ryan had better overall control, and Abel is fighting control. Further, when the Twins acquired Ryan, his FB was intriguing due to a really low slot angel that seemed to make it rise more and have more velocity than it actually had. But he was still throwing his FB around 91-92. 

Since he was acquired, the Twins have increased Ryan's velocity, tweaked his slider, and added a sweeper.

The best thing would be to have acquired a slightly different version of Ryan...who's team had no room...get his control/command better, tweak a pitch or two...and have BOTH in their rotation.

Why not just promote Abel and the more experienced Bradley immediately instead of sending both to the minors? Well, Abel has already been covered. There are no service times issues with either. So why not Bradley instead of bullpen games and running with some 30yo guys who have no future with the team and are acting as temporary fill in options? Well, the answer is right there in the original question as I paraphrased a bit vs a direct quote.

Abel has been addressed. Now on to Bradley.

His MILB numbers are impressive. No dispute! His rookie season in 2023 was about what you'd normally expect, mediocre across the board except for a rise is K per 9. His 2nd ML season in 2024 showed a slight uptick across the board with a slightly lower K per 9. But while his 2025 season hasn't exactly been a disaster, his WHIP has increased slightly, as has his BB per 9, and he's lowered his K per 9.

That's not a good trend for his 3rd ML season. In a lost season where the Twins aren't winning anything, he's doing EXACTLY what Zoll has stated, getting some AAA time for the coaches to work with him and make some tweaks, changes, or possibly early additions. (At 24yo still I don't see him moving to the pen but it's his stuff and recent regression that makes me think he's a potential option to do so).

[Otaknam]

It’s not complicated. Abel seems to have good stuff and a very good fastball, but he needs to improve his command. If he can do that he has a chance to be an effective starter. 

[old nurse]

8 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Seems like a lot of people here just want all these prospects called up to the majors so they can **** on them. 

Roden, sucks. Kendry, sucks. Abel, sucks. Tait, sucks. Bradley, sucks. 

4 months ago we heard the same chorus about Varland, Bader, Jax, etc. 

 

But, but, but, they were correct about France 

[bunsen82]

Its pretty clear they plan to work on the sweeper with both Abel and Bradley.   If Abel has incremental improvements on control similar to this year,  with a good sweeper/slider, and tweaking a few pitches, he could develop into a very good pitcher.   It won't be replica but it may the results may be simi Lets be clear though,  Abel has always been viewed as a better prospect throughout their minor careers.  Ryan needed to increase his velocity to maximize the fastball potency.   

8-10 starts in the minors/majors for 2025 is meaningless other than trying to give fans hope.   Letting them have the remainder of the summer/fall,  and the offseason to really tweak their arsenal seems like the best bet.  I don't see how you don't go into 2026 without planning to have both Abel and Bradley in the starting lineup.   This is where I run into an issue unless we have injuries. 

Ryan, Lopez,  Ober,  Matthews, Abel, Bradley (thats 6) - backend starter SWR, Festa, Adams, Ohl, Klein.   Then in AAA have Raya, Lewis, Morris, Rojas. The roster management this offseason is going to be very interesting.  I could see some buying and selling of trades occurring or moving several arms to the bullpen.  

[Mike Sixel]

15 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

Its pretty clear they plan to work on the sweeper with both Abel and Bradley.   If Abel has incremental improvements on control similar to this year,  with a good sweeper/slider, and tweaking a few pitches, he could develop into a very good pitcher.   It won't be replica but it may the results may be simi Lets be clear though,  Abel has always been viewed as a better prospect throughout their minor careers.  Ryan needed to increase his velocity to maximize the fastball potency.   

8-10 starts in the minors/majors for 2025 is meaningless other than trying to give fans hope.   Letting them have the remainder of the summer/fall,  and the offseason to really tweak their arsenal seems like the best bet.  I don't see how you don't go into 2026 without planning to have both Abel and Bradley in the starting lineup.   This is where I run into an issue unless we have injuries. 

Ryan, Lopez,  Ober,  Matthews, Abel, Bradley (thats 6) - backend starter SWR, Festa, Adams, Ohl, Klein.   Then in AAA have Raya, Lewis, Morris, Rojas. The roster management this offseason is going to be very interesting.  I could see some buying and selling of trades occurring or moving several arms to the bullpen.  

SWR has been better than Bradley in the majors.

[bunsen82]

7 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

SWR has been better than Bradley in the majors.

Exemplifying my point.  We have too many arms that are going to need innings.  Usually injuries or underperformance resolves the issue.  Even still the depth is the largest I have ever seen it (still questions on the quality).  

[Mike Sixel]

11 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

Exemplifying my point.  We have too many arms that are going to need innings.  Usually injuries or underperformance resolves the issue.  Even still the depth is the largest I have ever seen it (still questions on the quality).  

Agreed. I hope they make some faster decisions about the fringey guys and move them to the bullpen sooner rather than later.

[Twins33]

My opinion is that Matthews has a better chance to be the next Ryan. Both were control over stuff. Matthews has a bigger HR problem which could be fixed.  Ryan improved his HR problem this year. 
 

Abel is stuff over control. Those SP fail at a very high rate. He would have to improve his control A LOT before he could ever become Ryan. That would pretty much be an impossible ask, because he’d have to improve it another four percent points, in my opinion. I’m glad he’s dropped it down lower this year and I hope he keeps it up. I just don’t see him becoming Ryan but I will be happy if he proves me very wrong. 

[NYCTK]

3 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

Ryan, Lopez,  Ober,  Matthews, Abel, Bradley (thats 6) - backend starter SWR, Festa, Adams, Ohl, Klein.   Then in AAA have Raya, Lewis, Morris, Rojas. The roster management this offseason is going to be very interesting.  I could see some buying and selling of trades occurring or moving several arms to the bullpen.  

One of Ryan or Lopez HAS to be sold. It's a common sense baseball trade. 

So that only leaves 7 "big league ready" SP in my mind: Ryan/Lopez, Ober, Matthews, Bradley, Abel, Festa, and SWR.

Trading BOTH Lopez and Ryan isn't out of the question, but that leaves their rotation a little bit thin, and I would wager they wait until the following offseason to trade away the remaining of the two. 

[gman]

Will there be room for Prielipp next year, or is he an automatic bullpen move. I f they want him to still be a starter, it may 2027 before he gets here. Currently he is giving up a 307 batting average. I hope that is from pitch selection he is working on.

Festa is another starter or bullpen question.  Between Festa and Prielipp we could start a could back end of the bullpen. Need to figure out where Raya and Morris fit in. I think Raya is probably a bullpen piece also, not sure about Morris and SWR at this point. I think it's more about who the best starters are and the others to the bullpen .