2 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
3 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
1 month agoPhiladelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Andrew Painter is one of the top ranked prospects in all of baseball. Sadly, Painter missed all of the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Before that, Painter was having a ton of success in the minors, but that is mostly due to his elite fastball. Painter also added a slider to his repertoire last season. Now, Painter is working to develop his changeup with Phillies' legend
Cole Hamels. It sounds like Painter has been having success with it, but we'll see how it does against hitters this spring. The expectation is that Painter will begin the season in the minor leagues. The 21-year-old hasn't pitched above Double-A, and he only has started five games there. If he has success, Painter could earn a promotion to Philly before the end of the 2025 season.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
3 months agoPhiladelphia Phillies shortstop
Aidan Miller, right-hander
Andrew Painter and outfielder
Justin Crawford, who are the team's top three prospects per MLB Pipeline, have all received non-roster invites to big-league spring training. Miller, 20, was the 27th overall pick in 2023 started at Single-A in 2024 and finished with Double-A Reading. The right-handed hitter has the potential to hit for average and power while being a 20-steal threat in the majors, although he's likely to move off shortstop in the long run. Painter, 21, won't pitch in spring training while coming off Tommy John surgery in 2023. While he has front-of-the-rotation stuff, Painter isn't expected to be an option for the Phils until around midseason. Crawford, 21, is also a former first-rounder and appeared in last year's Futures Game after hitting a combined .313/.360/.444 with nine homers, 61 RBI and 42 steals at two minor-league stops in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Philadelphia Inquirer - Scott Lauber
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