These Andrew Painter traits could have Phillies prospect live up to Gerrit Cole hype

The Philadelphia Phillies entered spring training with the potential to have one of the best starting rotations in the major leagues this season. Their pitching depth has been tested early in the season with Ranger Suárez on the IL.

One of the intriguing storylines for the Phillies in 2025 is the anticipated debut of top prospect Andrew Painter. The right-hander has missed the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is scheduled to make his MLB debut in July. However, The Athletic's Jayson Stark increased expectations, recently comparing the 21-year-old to one of the best pitchers in the game.

The Athletic's Jayson Stark compared Andrew Painter to the Yankees' Gerrit Cole

During an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic's afternoon show, The Best Show Ever?, with Tyrone Johnson and former Phillie Ricky Bottalico, Stark gave more reason for fans to look forward to Painter's debut.

"Andrew Painter is going to be Gerrit Cole," Stark said. "I just wonder about how patient the Phillies can be about getting him to the big leagues if they have any injuries early in the rotation but I know they feel like they've got the best rotation in the big leagues."

It's important to keep expectations in check regarding Painter. The native of Pompano Beach, Florida, has had a significant injury that has restricted his pitching for the last two years. He has not pitched above Double-A and will not see too much time in Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs if he pitches there this year. The Phillies are limiting his innings in the minors before his anticipated MLB debut this summer.

Painter returned from Tommy John surgery to pitch in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) last year. He finished with a 2.30 ERA and an 18/4 K/BB ratio in 15 2/3 innings, earning the AFL Pitcher of the Year Award, per MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. According to Synergy, he threw 68 percent of his pitches for strikes.

According to his Baseball Savant scouting report, Painter possesses the rare combination of advanced feel for his pitches and raw stuff. His fastball, voted by MLB executives as the best heater in the minors, can reach near 100 mph. He has also added a new, harder variation on his slider to his arsenal, to go along with his four-seamer, curveball, slider and changeup, which are all already graded as plus pitches.

During spring training, he spoke with Cole Hamels on how the retired left-hander gripped his changeup. The youngster may feature the pitch more in his pitching repertoire.

Hamels came away impressed after speaking with Painter, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

"He wants to be good,” Hamels said, per Zolecki. “You can definitely tell that he wants to be good. He just needs to get the experience. He understands that. I like how he goes about his business. He's not trying to go outside of himself to prove to everybody. Sometimes when you get labels and the expectations, you want to show people why they gave it to you all the time. And I think he's going through a very good process in staying within himself to take care of his work."

Phillies won't need to rush Andrew Painter, hopefully

The benefit of already possessing a deep rotation is that the Phillies may not be counting on Painter to make an impact initially. However, things could change if the rotation has trouble remaining healthy or is not as good as projected.

There are concerns with the rotation. Suárez has had injury issues that impacted him last year and to begin 2025. Will Jesús Luzardo be able to pitch consistently well and avoid injury issues of his own?

Luzardo is coming off of a 2024 season in which he missed several months with the Miami Marlins. He also tends to allow home runs. The left-hander surrendered five in 12 1/3 innings during four spring training appearances. He also pitched at loanDepot Park, which is a hitter-friendly ballpark.

Taijuan Walker is being forced into the rotation early due to Suárez's injury. He has lacked reliability over the last year and may not be used as a starter often when Philadelphia's starters are all healthy this season.

Hopefully, the Phillies are not in a position where they feel they need to rush Painter to the majors. The organization would prefer to utilize the rest of its more experienced pitchers as often as possible before relying on the 21-year-old. However, based on his potential, he can contribute to one of the best rotations in MLB.

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