Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospect Will Help Team Make a Deeper Postseason Run

The Philadelphia Phillies' biggest strength is going to get stronger in 2025.

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

The greatest strength for the Philadelphia Phillies throughout the 2024 season was their starting pitching rotation.

Leading the way is ace Zack Wheeler, who will receive some Cy Young consideration. Behind him as a reliable workhorse is Aaron Nola, the longest-tenured Philliies player.

Behind them, the team received All-Star seasons from Cristopher Sanchez, who pitched Game 2 of their NLDS against the New York Mets, and Ranger Suarez. The No. 5 spot was an Achilles heel, but that foursome’s production more than made up for it.

One of the players who took the ball as the fifth person in the rotation was Taijuan Walker, who struggled mightily. His hold on a spot is tenuous, at best, as the team could make a move if a better option arises.

A potential replacement could be the team’s top pitching prospect, Andrew Painter.

It was not too long ago that the talented right-handed hurler was the consensus top prospect on the mound in baseball. There were whispers that he would break Spring Training with the Major League team in 2023.

Unfortunately, he suffered an elbow injury that would end up requiring Tommy John surgery. As a result, he was sidelined for the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.

But, he has returned to the mound at the Arizona Fall League, which will help him ramp up in preparation for 2025. Shaking off two years of rust there is better than trying to do it at Spring Training while simultaneously auditioning for a spot on the team.

Eventually, that last spot in the rotation is something Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes Painter will earn. 

In a recent piece highlighting prospects who will be playing in the 2025 postseason, the MLB expert believes the top prospect will be Philadelphia’s fifth starter.

“Still just 21 years old, he had a 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 155 strikeouts in 103.2 innings across three minor league levels in 2022, closing out the year at Double-A. If he returns with the same elite-level stuff he showed pre-injury, it might convince the Phillies to cut ties with underperforming veteran Taijuan Walker to open up a spot in the rotation.”

That is a move many in the fan base would get behind as well. Painter has incredible upside and getting him into the mix with seasoned veterans so that he can ease into a more prominent role at a good pace would be ideal.