Fastball

Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospect Turning Heads in AFL, Could Make Rotation in 2025

It's been a long road back for Andrew Painter, but he's dominating in the Arizona Fall League.

Brady Farkas

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (76) during photo day at BayCare Ballpark in 2023.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (76) during photo day at BayCare Ballpark in 2023. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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After missing the last two seasons with injury, Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter is turning heads in the Arizona Fall League.

According to Baseball America, Painter has thrown 10.0 innings in the developmental league, striking out 10 batters. He has an ERA of 2.70 and is regularly touching 99-100 MPH with his fastball.

Ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies organization, there's a chance that Painter could begin the 2025 season in the Phillies rotation. It's not a guarantee, and the team would be very careful about his innings, but he has that kind of talent. Furthermore, he was a strong candidate to make the rotation out of spring training in 2023 before getting injured.

If the team wants to be careful with him, they could always start him in the minors and monitor his innings, perhaps bringing him up for a later-season bullpen role. He could be a dominant force in the 'pen as he works his way back as well. All the options are on the table for Painter and the team right now.

Painter is currently ranked as the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

The fact that Painter is still regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in the game while on the sidelines is a testament to his ability. 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, and he throws both a sinking two-seamer as well as a high-spin four-seamer up in the zone. His slider is an out pitch, a low-80s offering with a ton of break and huge spin rates. His upper-70s curve provides a different look, and his above-average changeup has really improved.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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