The fact is, if you don’t, you should already know his name. He might have been the difference in a season that ended much too early for the Philadelphia Phillies. His season ended much too early as well. Let me tell you about Andrew Painter.
This is from his MLB.com prospect profile:
His combination of stuff, size and feel for pitching add to the faith in him, with a legitimate four-pitch mix at his disposal. His fastball can touch triple digits and was averaging around 96 mph at the end of 2022.
In that 2022 season Painter pitched at three stops in the minors for the Phillies. He went 6-2 with a 1.22 ERA, he struck out 155 and walked 25 at 19 years old. He was Baseball America’s number five overall prospect entering 2023.
It was thought he would certainly have a chance to pitch in the majors that season but things went wrong on March 1st as they do for pitchers these days. He sprained his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) during a spring training game and hadn’t thrown another pitch until recently.
The hope at the time was that rehab and rest would do the trick and surgery was delayed. In the end it probably cost the righthander an extra minor league season. Eventually Tommy John surgery was the route taken in July.
Painter’s return to the prospect laden Arizona fall league was spectacular and he was named the pitcher of the year.
His final appearance netting six strikeouts on fifty-three pitches, covering 2 2/3 innings. Final stats: 2.30 ERA, .189 average-against and an 18/4 K/BB ratio in 15 2/3 innings.
“Coming in here, I just wanted to compete and get a feel for my stuff, feel confident going into ’25 and walk out healthy,” Painter said. “It felt great. You can’t simulate it in bullpens and everything back at the complex.”
His fastball velocity returned, up to 99 mph. As did his curveball and change up and he’s working on something new as well:
“I feel great about the slider,” Painter said. “Obviously, it’s a newer pitch and I feel good where we’re at with it now. I look forward to an offseason of tinkering with that.
Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowki has already said he expects Painter to find his way into the Phils’ pitching plans at some point in the 2025 season. It’s expected that when he does, he’ll make a significant impact to their fortunes going forward.
