Andrew Painter made what is likely to be his last start of the spring on Wednesday when he finished four shutout innings against a Braves lineup that had numerous regulars. In total, Painter made three starts, pitched 7.2 innings, allowed three runs on six hits including a home run, and struck out five with only one walk in spring training.
His fastball shape is still a work in progress, but Painter has flashed an impressive arsenal this spring, highlighted by a sweeper-slider combination that racked
up a combined six whiffs on a total of 19 pitches in his final start. He’s also shown an intriguing changeup that has potential to be a weapon as well.
But, Painter’s second start was a little concerning in that he lost velocity as it went on and was hit hard. Some of those worries were remedied in his last start where he held an average velocity around 96 MPH throughout his 4 innings and 52 pitches of work. Still, it will be something to monitor as he embarks on his rookie season, as velocity bleeding was an issue for Painter in 2025.
There are lofty expectations on Painter, even if some may be unfairly high. He is a former top pitching prospect in baseball, but he is a much different pitcher now than he was before suffering a torn UCL and missing essentially two years of development. Back then he could essentially feast off of two pitches thanks to his overpowering fastball. Now he’s developing a whole arsenal while trying to rediscover some of the same form of that fastball. Nevertheless, the Phillies are expecting Painter to come in and contribute right away as a rookie, as the fifth starter role in the rotation has been earmarked for the young righty all winter.
The results in spring have been encouraging, but there’s still clear things that must be worked on if Painter will reach his ceiling either this year or in the future. Frankly, there’s still discussions to be had about what exactly that ceiling is in a post Tommy John surgery career.
So, what do you make of Andrew Painter’s spring? Did he show enough for you to instill confidence in him? Or was it not enough yo quell your concerns? Or are you simply just “whelmed” with his performance and are looking forward to what he can do in real games?
