5/5/25 : MICK ABEL, AROON ESCOBAR AND OTTO KEMP EARN ORGANIZATIONAL HONORS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL

Phillies Press Release

Lehigh Valley right-handed pitcher Mick Abel has been named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April while Clearwater infielder Aroon Escobar and Lehigh Valley infielder Otto Kemp shared Phillies Minor League Hitter of the Month honors.

Abel, 23, went 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA (7 ER, 29.1 IP), 32 strikeouts, 11 walks, a 1.09 WHIP and a .198 opponent’s batting average (21-106) in five starts for triple-A Lehigh Valley during the month. Among International League pitchers, the Portland, Ore., native ranked second in innings pitched, tied for second in strikeouts and wins, tied for sixth in opponent’s batting average, seventh in ERA and tied for ninth in WHIP. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound righty’s three-game streak with at least seven strikeouts from April 5-17 is tied for the longest such streak in the IL this season. Abel’s average velocity of 95.6 mph on his four-seam fastball ranks fifth among triple-A pitchers this year (min. 200 four-seamers thrown). Added to the club’s 40-man roster last November, he was selected by the Phillies in the first round (15thoverall) of the 2020 MLB Draft and was signed by Zach Friedman. Abel is currently ranked as the No. 8 prospect in Philadelphia’s farm system, according to MLB.com.

 The 20-year-old Escobar played in 19 games in April for single-A Clearwater, slashing .360/.461/.627 (1.088 OPS) with 21 runs, five doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI, 11 walks and one stolen base in 89 plate appearances. The Venezuela native ranked first in the Florida State League in runs, tied for first in hits (27), second in total bases (47) and slugging percentage, third in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS, tied for third in RBI and extra-base hits (10), tied for fourth in home runs and tied for eighth in doubles. Rated by Baseball America as having the best strike-zone discipline in the Phillies minor league system entering the 2025 season, he reached base safely in all 19 of his games in April. On April 8 against Daytona, the right-handed hitter drove in a career-high five runs and tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with his first professional grand slam. Escobar signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent on Jan. 15, 2022, and was signed by Rafael Álvarez and William Mota.

Kemp, 25, slashed .330/.421/.711 (1.132 OPS), going 32-for-97 with 23 runs, 11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 24 RBI, nine walks and three stolen bases in 25 games for the IronPigs in April. A non-roster invitee to spring training this year, he had the following rankings among IL batters during the month: first in runs, extra-base hits (20), total bases (69) and slugging percentage, tied for first in home runs, second in doubles, RBI and OPS, tied for second in hits and seventh in batting average. Kemp, who was also named IL Player of the Month, was hit by four pitches on April 22 against Columbus, setting a Lehigh Valley single-game record. Additionally, the Fullerton, Calif., native set career highs in doubles (3) on April 25 against Columbus and RBI (6) on April 29 at Rochester. He signed with the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent on July 28, 2022, and was signed by Zach Friedman.