The Backbone of the 2025 IronPigs: Starting Pitching

The tremendous start for the 2025 IronPigs has a somewhat unexpected foundation:  A really good starting rotation.  Who are these guys and how did this happen?

In 2024 the Phillies were turning over every stone to try to find starting depth for their rotation.  Ranger wasn’t doing well, Taijuan Walker had been injured and ineffective, the long season was maybe taking its toll on Wheeler and Nola.  There was little help at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  Seth Johnson got a chance.  As did Michael Mercado.  David Buchanan and Tyler Phillips had moments at the top two levels, but ultimately the Phillies were still looking for better.

Using 40-Man Spots

One way to secure upper-level pitching depth at Triple-A is to find experienced players who still have options left, and sign them to MLB contracts and option them to the minors.  Perhaps they will excel and crack the big league club.  Perhaps you’ll need them to make big league starts down the stretch, but more than likely they will stay at Triple-A and contribute there.  And, that eats up 40-man spots but sometimes in roster construction that’s the price you have to pay to have quality depth in the upper minors.

RHP Alan Rangel came up through the Braves system and made their 40-man roster at the end of the 2021 season.  He was optioned for 2022 and at the end of the season elected free agency but the Braves re-signed him to a minor league contract.  At the end of the 2023 season he again elected free agency and this time signed a minors deal with the Angles.  He was released by Double-A Rocket City on July 1, 2024 and signed a minors deal with the Phillies on July 16.  He made 10 appearances and 5 starts with the IronPigs last season and was rewarded with a 40-man spot after the season.  His stats in 2025 are not eye-popping at 2-0, 5.66, but he has kept the ‘Pigs in games with the opportunity to win late, and has been able to eat his innings as a starter.

On August 10 of last season, the Phillies claimed RHP Kyle Tyler off waivers from Miami.  His numbers with the Marlins were not great, but he did have some success with Triple-A Jacksonville.  He made 7 starts down the stretch for the IronPigs last season and was optioned back to Triple-A for 2025.  He’s been a valuable part of the rotation and his stats of 4-2, 3.12 over 8 starts have not gone unnoticed.

The Prospects

Two “top prospects” are currently contributing to the IronPigs starting strength.  You just don’t get that every year–and when you do they are often needed for the big club before they make any meaningful impact on the minor league team.  This year is different:

RHP Andrew Painter finally made his first appearance at Triple-A last week after working his way back from Tommy John surgery.  The top-10 prospect in all of baseball did not disappoint in his debut, and got his first win this week, on the road in Syracuse.  He is stretching out and is expected to contribute to the Phillies this season as a starter.  This spot in the rotation had belonged to another prospect, RHP Seth Johnson, who came over in a trade from Baltimore last season and is also considered a prospect.  Johnson is now converting to a relief role and is also on the 40-man roster.

RHP Mick Abel has been a revelation this season.  Right this minute, he’s probably the ace of the staff with his numbers at 5-2, 2.53 over 8 starts as of this writing.  If you take out those two bad starts from earlier in the season he has been even better.  He had a poor showing last season with the IronPigs, so although we know he was capable of a performance like this, we really hadn’t seen it at Double-A Reading or with the IronPigs.  He was added to the 40-man roster over the off-season.

The “Crizzler”

RHP Nabil Crismatt signed a minor league contract with the Phillies before the season.  The big Colombian with 114 games of MLB experience–almost exclusively as a reliever–is the veteran of the bunch.  He’s been to the Show with St Louis, the Dodgers, and San Diego.  When he wasn’t able to crack to Phillies roster for a bullpen spot out of Spring Training he was assigned to the IronPigs to take a role in the rotation–a spot he’s been in before as he had starts with both El Paso and Oklahoma City last season in the Triple-A PCL.  He doesn’t throw hard, and got off to a slow start, but his numbers at this juncture are at 4-1, 1.96 in eight starts.  Tremendous.  It is not known if Crismatt has opt-out language in his minor league contract, or if he’ll choose to exercise it given the success he’s having with this team.

So, there you have it.  The backbone of the 2025 IronPigs team that is the first in Triple-A to reach 30 wins.  Other pitchers who were/are on the radar for the team haven’t fared so well.  RHP Griff McGarry got off to an amazing start with Double-A Reading, returning to a starting role, but injured his elbow.  The severity of the injury is not fully known, but we did hear that he’s not a surgical candidate right now and is following rest and rehabilitation.  The two “top prospects” in Reading include RHP Moises Chacé, who got off to a rough start this season and may have injured his shoulder earlier this week, and is currently on the injured list.  RHP Jean Cabrera needn’t be rushed to Triple-A as the other pitcher listed as a prospect.  He also may convert to a relief role at some point.

See you at the park, may the good starts continue…

@Kram207