Philadelphia Phillies‘ top pitching prospect, Andrew Painter, continued on his rehab path to the major leagues with his third start in the Arizona Fall League on Thursday afternoon. Painter was expected to be in the rotation in 2023 but injured his elbow and was forced to get Tommy John surgery. He has worked his way back to the mound and hopes to be ready for Spring Training.
In his third start for the Glendale Desert Dogs, he pitched three innings, getting the win. He allowed only one hit and struck out three in his best performance so far. He was able to drop his ERA to 3.86 and showed why he has so much potential. He threw 32 pitches, with 26 of them being strikes, and was able to dot the corners with his fastball and changeup. Painter was even able to get up to 99 mph, and his 4-seam had an average velocity of 97.1 mph.
Painter left his previous start with a 6.75 but still showed flashes of why he is a highly touted pitching prospect. As he continues to knock off the rust this fall, the Phillies and the fan’s excitement will grow. We could be looking at the fifth member of the Phillies’ rotation come opening day.
According to MLB.com, Andrew Painter is the Philadelphia Phillies’ second-ranked prospect and ranks 32nd on the MLB Top 100.
