Talented Starting Pitcher Named Top Prospect To Watch for Philadelphia Phillies

A former first-round pick was recently named the top prospect to watch for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) celebrates with teammates after defeating the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to improve this offseason after a tough ending to their 2024 campaign.

After being one of the best teams in the league last year, they didn’t come close to achieving their goals in October. That's why it felt like the Phillies were going to make some major changes to their organization, however, while they have made a few moves thus far, there hasn’t been a headliner in either the trade market or free agency.

For a team that was as successful as Philadelphia in 2024, that might not be a bad thing.

The Phillies have the luxury of having a strong farm system they can pull from to improve in 2025, and they very well might do just that.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com recently spoke about the top prospect for Philadelphia coming into the season, and he chose none other than Andrew Painter, who is one of the best prospects in baseball.

“The Phillies have talked quite a bit about the rotation since the end of the 2024 season. First, they already believed they had four top-tier starters in Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez. Then, they got Jesús Luzardo in a trade with Miami. Now, the Phillies believe they have five All-Star-caliber starters to open the season. But that doesn’t mean Painter’s time won’t come in 2025.”

The former first-round pick missed the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he made his return in the Arizona Fall League this year and looked good in his return, totaling a 2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched and winning a coveted award.

As one of the top overall prospects in baseball, the talented right-hander should be set for a call-up in 2025, but when that opportunity comes will be the question.

Currently, the Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in the Majors with talent at all five spots, and with Painter being on a pitch limit during this upcoming season, they fortunately don’t have to rush their top prospect because of the depth and talent already on the roster.

Before trading for Jesus Luzardo, there might have been a chance for the right-hander to earn a spot in the rotation, but that doesn’t seem to be the plan.

Since he missed so much time due to injury, Philadelphia is going to be wise and carefully monitor his innings and workload next season.

As the Phillies head into 2025, Painter is certainly the top prospect to watch for the team.