Since 2023, Andrew Painter has been ranked as the Philadelphia Phillies' No. 1 prospect across many media platforms. The hype around the top young arm in the system boiled over when he had a chance to make the Opening Day rotation to begin the 2023 campaign.
That excitement was short-lived as Painter ultimately needed Tommy John surgery later that summer. After returning to the mound in the 2024 Arizona Fall League for the first time since undergoing the procedure, the young right-hander returned for a full season in 2025.
From a performance perspective, the 2025 season was not an awe-inspiring one from the 22-year-old. However, that has not altered the view of many experts around that game who still believe that Painter is one of the top right-handed pitching prospects in baseball.
Phillies' Andrew Painter is still a top pitching prospect for 2026 even after a dreadful 2025
As MLB Pipeline begins to release their top 10 prospects at each position, Painter finds himself included as the No. 4 right-handed pitching prospect.
This is a one-spot drop from last year when he was the No. 3 prospect on the list.
The three arms ranked above him this year are no slouches. Nolan McLean of the New York Mets, Bubba Chandler of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and local, World Series standout Trey Yesavage of the Toronto Blue Jays are all listed ahead of Painter, but that is some good company to keep.
All three of those prospects pitched in the big leagues last season at some point. Painter had his chance with the Phillies looking to promote him but ultimately did not prove that he was ready for his MLB debut.
It's fair to say that he did not earn a promotion. Across 26 starts with Single-A Clearwater and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, the highly touted prospect compiled a 5.26 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP while allowing 9.8 H/9 (the highest of his professional career) and garnering 9.4 K/9 (the lowest of his professional career).
While the statistical results may not have been there, the most important aspect of Painter's 2025 season was that he stayed healthy in his first year back. He logged a career-high 118 innings pitched over his 26 starts which should instill confidence that the lingering effects of the procedure are behind him.
Now that he has a full minor league season under his belt, Painter will once again be provided the opportunity to leave Clearwater as a member of the Phillies' starting pitching staff. If he can prove that his struggles last year were attributed to rust from not having pitched competitively in over a year, then he should make his MLB debut early on in 2026.
This season will be a "prove-it" year for Painter. For years experts have been saying that his stuff is good enough to get out major league hitters. If his command is back to where it was pre-Tommy John, the Phillies will have an affordable and viable young arm in their rotation for the foreseeable future.