Kevin Abel

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #131 prospect in 2021 draft
  One of the most polarizing players in the class among talent evaluators, Abel arrived on the scene with an impressive 2018 season that culminated in him winning Freshman of the Year honors (8-1, 2.88, 12.0 K/9 in 81.1 innings). He also became the first player in NCAA history to earn four wins at the College World Series, including a two-hitter in the title game against Arkansas. Since then, Abel has been hampered by injuries, dealing with back injuries and having Tommy John surgery during the 2019 season. He missed the shortened 2020 campaign, but still ranked as the No. 124 player in the draft class. Abel put up strong numbers this season heading into regionals (3-4, 3.42, 12.1 K/9), but he’s struggled with his command and control, leading to a career-worst walk rate (6.0). Abel has a three-pitch mix headlined by a plus changeup and an above-average-to-plus curveball, with some deception in his delivery that allows his fastball to play up and has led to opponents hitting .167 against him this season. Normally, his fastball sits in the 89-92 mph range, but it’s been down to 86-88 mph with bad command this season, leading to some concerns among scouts. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound righthander draws rave reviews for his competitiveness and makeup and he’s still shown he can get batters out while relying mostly on his changeup and curveball, but the questions regarding his fastball velocity could lead to him sliding on draft day.
• Ranked #124 prospect in 2020 draft
  Abel has become a conundrum for scouts since his eye-opening 2018 campaign with Oregon State, when he was the best pitcher on the Beavers’ College World Series winning team and named freshman of the year. He was known for his pitching polish and advanced feel for the game out of high school in 2017, but teams were looking for him to add more stuff and size in college. He battled some back issues during his sophomore year and then had Tommy John surgery in April of 2019, which ended his season after just 16.1 innings and would have kept him out for much of the 2020 season as well. Now, teams have to decide what to do with a pitcher who has performed at the highest level in college baseball but they haven’t seen at his best on the mound in essentially two years. When healthy he has a solid fastball in the low 90s that plays up thanks to his command, good feel for a solid curveball and a changeup that might be his best offering. There are plenty of wild cards at the moment, and if Abel is a tough sign at all like some scouts expect, he might head back to Oregon State, get healthy and once again let his pitching do the talking.
• Ranked #216 prospect in 2017 draft
  San Diego's Madison High has produced a highly-drafted pitcher in three of the last five drafts with Corey Oswalt, Ian Clarkin, and Imani Abdullah. Abel is next in line. Abel stands 6-foot-1, 180 pounds and is lean and projectable with clean mechanics and a competitive streak that draws praise from evaluators. His two-seam fastball sits 88-91 mph, but it's his secondary offerings that that set him apart. Abel possesses a screwball that flashes plus, and he backs it up with a hard downer curveball that also projects plus. He ties it all together with solid control, although he works up in the zone more often than some evaluators would like. Abel needs to add weight and add a few ticks to his fastball, but his three-pitch repertoire and feel to pitch give him a promising foundation. He has a strong commitment to Oregon State.