Dominating Double-A hitters Abbott has 36 strikeouts and three walks while sporting a 1.15 ERA and 0.57 WHIP in 15.2 innings through three starts for Double-A Chattanooga. Impact A 64.3 percent strikeout rate and 58.9 K-BB% is a quick way for a pitching prospect to generate buzz. While Abbott was a known prospect entering the year, most evaluators had him pegged as a back-end starter. Last year, he had a 4.75 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 30.8 percent strikeout rate and 10.6 percent walk rate in 20 starts at Double-A. Look for Abbott to quickly get promoted to Triple-A, as he now has over 100 innings under his belt at Double-A and will turn 24 in June. From there, he could force a promotion to the majors in short order, given that Luis Cessa and Levi Stoudt are currently in the big-league rotation. Abbott's hot start oversells his prospect value, as he's a cerebral lefty with a low-90s fastball, quality breaking ball and improved changeup, but there's no doubt he is trending up as much as any Double-A pitching prospect.
APRIL 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE