Phillies’ Abel, Crawford Shine in NL’s Dominant Win in MLB Futures Game
Photo via The Athletic
The 2023 All-Star festivities are officially underway! The 2023 MLB Futures Game, which features baseball’s top prospects from all levels facing off in an exhibition game, is being played tonight—Saturday, July 8—and can be viewed on Peacock.
Centerfielder Justin Crawford and starting pitcher Mick Abel are representing the Phillies.
Abel, 21, was selected fifteenth overall in the 2020 amateur draft and has impressed since joining the Phillies organization. On paper, he has struggled, but when he has good command of his fastball, Abel is virtually unhittable. His four-seamer sits at 99 miles per hour, and he has a wipeout slider that is effective against both left and right-handed hitters.
Moving through the minor league system quickly, Crawford has put up excellent numbers at every level. In 2023, the speedy centerfielder is hitting .344 and has an OBP of .390. He has 35 stolen bases and is a Gold-Glove-caliber defender in the outfield. At just 19 years old, Crawford is still developing power and building muscle, but he has already found a copious amount of success at the professional level thus far.
Live Game Updates
Bottom of the First Inning
Mick Abel got the start for the National League. As expected, his fastball sat at 97-99 miles per hour. Abel pitched a scoreless first inning where he allowed one hit and struck out two—one with a 98-mile-per-hour fastball, and the other with a lethal curveball at the knees. He threw 23 pitches.
Top of the Second Inning
With one out and the bases loaded, Justin Crawford golfed a sacrifice line drive to centerfield. Down 1-2 in the count, Crawford swinged defensively and was able to increase the NL’s lead to two. The ball had an .880 xBA.
Top of the Fifth Inning
Justin Crawford led off the bottom of the inning with a lineout to deep centerfield on a 3-2 count. His liner had a .640 xBA and left his bat at 105.1 MPH.
Top of the Sixth Inning
Marlins’ Nasim Nunez extends the NL’s lead to five with a bases-clearing double.
Justin Crawford strikes out looking with one out and a runner on third base.
- RHP Mick Abel: 1 IP, 1 H 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K
- DH-CF Justin Crawford: 0-2, RBI, K
Postgame Thoughts
Ultimately, the National League hung on to their early lead, winning the game 5-0. Marlins’ Nasim Nunez, who had a three-run double and a stolen base, won the Larry Doby Futures Game MVP award.
In two of his at-bats, Justin Crawford hit hard line drives to center field, and both had high expected batting averages. Considering how much trouble Crawford has had elevating the baseball, it is very promising to see him doing so against MiLB’s most elite pitching.
Mick Abel, who was also impressive, opened the game with a scoreless inning. He struggled to get ahead of the AL hitters—a theme that has been consistent throughout Abel’s professional career—but he was able to battle back into counts and remain competitive. Even though he found himself in multiple three-ball counts, he did not allow any walks and struck out two.
I would love to meet Mick Abel one day. He pitched great in the Futures Game. I can’t wait to see him pitch in the Major Leagues.