It was March of 2023 when 2021 Philadelphia Phillies first-round draft pick Andrew Painter was first shut down with an arm injury. Painter and the Phillies organization later discovered that the injury required Tommy John surgery.
The surgery kept Painter sidelined from live game action until the fall of 2024 when he participated in the Arizona Fall League (AFL). Due to the injury and not throwing since the spring of 2023, the Phillies were looking to get him back on the diamond and shake off some rust before the 2025 season. Due to obvious concerns with his injury, the question was how he would look heading into the AFL.
Painter quickly showed his talent and how far removed he is from the surgery by earning AFL Pitcher of the Year honors. The 21-year-old finished the fall season with a 2.30 ERA in 15 2/3 innings of work, holding opponents to a .189 batting average and a WHIP of 0.89. He struck out 18 batters in the 15 2/3 innings of work.
Andrew Painter's resurgence in prospect rankings a vote of confidence for Painter and Phillies
Painter is finding a lot of respect in the 2025 prospect rankings. Over the last week, Painter has spiked to No. 9 in the Baseball America Top 100 rankings (subscription required). In addition to Baseball America, Painter also finds himself in the top 10 at No. 8 in the MLB Pipeline Top 100 rankings for 2025, all following his thrilling performance in the AFL after being ranked No. 19 last September.
This is an encouraging sign for the Phillies' young prospect to find the respect from a few major prospect rankings and be placed in the top 10 in two separate cases before the 2025 season after his Arizona Fall League performance. Confidence built from this could go a long way for a young prospect coming off surgery.
This performance with Painter throwing strong sets the young right-hander up well for spring ball. The Jesús Luzardo trade will make it tough for Painter to crack a spot in the starting rotation this season, especially with the organization having him set to work his way back carefully.
However, with this performance and potentially a strong showing in spring and early in the minors, Painter could hopefully work his way to find a spot to help this Phillies roster in the later months of the year, but most importantly a solid depth piece for the pitching staff in the 2025 season. Regardless, it is an intriguing sign for Phillies fans to see Painter propel into the top 10 in multiple prospect rankings right before pitchers and catchers begin Feb. 12.
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