Star Phillies Prospect Has Triumphant Return by Winning Arizona Fall League Award

After a prolonged absence because of Tommy John surgery, Philadelphia Phillies star prospect Andrew Painter had a triumphant return to the mound 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 surprised everyone when they dropped the news that Andrew Painter was going to pitch in the Arizona Fall League.

After he missed the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the once No. 1 pitching prospect in the sport made his return to the mound in a competitive setting for the first time since he produced eye-popping stats during his first full year of professional baseball.

No one quite knew what to expect.

Long layoffs in the past have made previously great pitchers look completely different, especially when they are coming off Tommy John surgery like Painter.

That wasn't the case for the rising star, though.

Painter reminded everyone just how elite of a talent he is with a 2.30 ERA and 18 strikeouts across his 15.2 innings pitched. He only allowed opponents to hit .189 against him while also producing a 0.89 WHIP and an 18/4 K/BB ratio.

This performance was good enough to earn him Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year honors.

A month ago, the #Phillies’ Andrew Painter pitched in a game for the first time since Spring Training 2023. Today, he was named the Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year.

MLB’s No. 32 prospect was nearly unhittable (.189 BAA) in the desert: https://t.co/maUiY8mt2e pic.twitter.com/eDsrUwphR3

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 17, 2024

Painter continued to get better the further into the showcase he pitched.

The main portion of his ERA came during his first two starts when he was making his return to a competitive setting for the first time in two years.

Initially, both the Phillies and Painter sent him to the AFL so he could get innings under his belt and start moving towards 2025 Spring Training where he is expected to be called up for his MLB debut at some point.

What occurred was much more exciting than they could have imagined.

Not only did Painter look like the dominant starter he was back in 2022, but he also threw 68% of his pitches for strikes, while producing a 31% miss rate. This allowed him to lead the Arizona Fall League with just 13.98 pitches per inning according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.

The 21-year-old will be under a pitch limit next season, so Philadelphia is trying to figure out when they might utilize him in their starting rotation.

But based on what he just showed in the AFL, they have another potential ace on their hands.