Philadelphia Phillies Prospect Named Player Analysts 'Want To See' in Fall League

The Philadelphia Phillies right-hander could benefit from pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

Feb 23, 2023; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (76) during photo day at BayCare Ballpark. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are arguably in the best position out of any team in Major League Baseball.

With a Big League roster filled with proven veteran talent and a farm system that includes some of the top prospects in the game, the Phillies seem to be well off for the future.

There could be a scenario where they trade one or two of their top-five prospects in the offseason if a star player becomes available, but that'd further confirm how good some of these youngsters are.

Just like every organization, there might be one or two untouchable guys.

One of those players for Philadelphia could be Andrew Painter, a right-handed pitcher.

The Florida native hasn't pitched professionally since 2022, which is a rightful concern, however, when he's been on the mound in his young career, he's been as good as any pitching prospect in the game.

His injuries bring some questions about when he'll pitch next, and it's uncertain if they'll wait until 2025 for him to throw in a game again, but he could be an option for the club to send to the Arizona Fall League.

MLB.com's prospect writers named him the one Phillies player they "want to see" pitch in the AFL, highlighting his injury.

"We'll be honest here: we don’t know exactly how to rank Painter right now given that he hasn't thrown a competitive pitch since September 2022. While he was shelved with an elbow injury early in 2023, he didn't have Tommy John surgery until July of that year. Still only 21, he's been throwing and recently faced hitters at the Phillies' complex, touching 99 mph. Letting him shake off some rust in Arizona sounds like a fantastic idea as he hopes to reclaim his role as one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball."

While getting reps in Arizona might be a wise decision, there's also some concern about it.

Would Philadelphia risk having the former first-round pick throw for the first time in about two years in a league that doesn't have any implications?

There's also a scenario where letting him pitch now could be a good way of building him up for 2025.

In his 26 appearances throughout his professional career, Painter has posted a 1.56 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and has struck out 167 hitters in 109.2 innings pitched.

He was already seeing action in Double-A during his second professional season, a good indication of what the front office thought about him, and how good he can truly become.

Painter has a long journey ahead of himself, but the Arizona Fall League could be a worthy investment.