4 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies pitching prospect
Andrew Painter is scheduled to make a start for Single-A Clearwater on Friday, April 11, according to manager Rob Thomson. The Phillies' top prospect has been on a throwing program this spring as he finishes recovery from Tommy John surgery. It will be the former first-round draft pick's first start in the minors since 2022, although he did participate in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) last year, even earning the 2024 AFL Pitcher of the Year award for his performance. Before going down with injury, the 6-foot-7 hurler owned a 1.48 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 167 strikeouts over 109 2/3 innings pitched in the minors. It's unclear how many starts he'll make at Single-A, but expect him to make a stop at Double-A and/or Triple-A before getting to the big leagues, which Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had previously indicated would be sometime in July. As he gets closer to an MLB debut, baseball's No. 7 overall prospect could become a priority stash, so redraft managers should keep tabs on his progress.
UPDATE: Painter will throw two innings or 35 pitches on Friday.--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoPhiladelphia Phillies pitching prospect
Andrew Painter is set to throw live batting practice on Friday in Clearwater. Phillies manager Rob Thompson noted that his next steps will become "clearer" after that. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his throwing progression as he could be cleared to make his season debut in the coming weeks. The Phillies are slowly increasing Painter's workload as he underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2023. Painter was able to pitch in the Arizona Fall League and performed very well. He did not participate in any Grapefruit League contests. The former 13th overall pick is considered the No. 8-best prospect in the sport on MLB.com and the top prospect in the Philadelphia system. Given that he has yet to appear in a Triple-A game, he is still several months away from his big league debut.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Destiny Lugardo
3 weeks agoPhiladelphia Phillies pitching prospect
Andrew Painter (elbow) is progressing well and could pitch in extended spring games in the coming weeks. Painter has been sidelined for nearly the past two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July of 2023. Painter has not been pitching during spring training but did participate in the Arizona Fall League. In the AFL, the former 13th overall pick posted a 2.30 ERA with a 0.89 WHIP across 15 2/3 innings. He tallied 18 punchouts and only served up four walks. Earlier in the offseason, the Phillies said they would closely monitor Painter's workload during the start of the season. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression in the minor leagues, as he could push to make his MLB debut sometime in the second half. In 2022, he spent time with Single-A, High-A, and Double-A and held a cumulative 1.56 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 155 punchouts across 103 2/3 innings.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Todd Zolecki
4 weeks agoPhiladelphia Phillies right-handed pitching prospect
Andrew Painter (elbow) threw his first live batting practice session of the spring against some of his Phillies teammates on Friday, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Painter, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 8 overall prospect in baseball this year, is being brought along slowly in spring training after he missed all of the last two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had in July of 2023. The 21-year-old will not pitch at all in the Grapefruit League and will not break camp with the big-league roster as he continues to slowly build up his prized right arm. If everything goes well and he doesn't encounter any setbacks along the way, Painter should be a starting-rotation option for the Phillies in the second half of the season. Painter should already be rostered in all dynasty/keeper leagues, but fantasy managers in single-year leagues should temper expectations.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Todd Zolecki
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