Citizens Bank Park | Visit Philadelphia
Citizens Bank Park | Visit Philadelphia
Countless hours of rehabilitation, frustration, and determination saw Andrew Painter return to the pitcher's mound on Friday night at BayCare Ballpark. The Philadelphia Phillies' prospect was pitching in a Minor League game for the first time in more than 30 months after recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in July 2023. He previously made a dominant comeback in the Arizona Fall League.
Painter delivered 37 pitches over 1 2/3 innings for Single-A Clearwater, with his fastball reaching 100 mph on three occasions, averaging over 98 mph against Daytona. MLB recognizes him as the No. 7 overall prospect. During this outing, he struck out three batters. He allowed two singles and walked one batter before being taken out in the second inning. His final statistics were affected when two runners scored in a seven-run inning by the Tortugas. Painter achieved nine swing-and-misses on 17 swings, with an average spin rate of 2,528 rpm on the 23 four-seamers thrown.
Despite the numbers from his outing, Painter's return offers a positive outlook for the Phillies, who hope the 22-year-old will evolve into a key player for the Major League team. Drafted in the first round in 2021, he had an impressive season in 2022 with a 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings, reaching Double-A Reading.
In spring, elbow pain sidelined Painter, leading to a torn ACL diagnosis, which necessitated surgery. He returned in the fall, achieving a 2.30 ERA, .189 batting average against, 0.89 WHIP, and an 18/4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 15 2/3 innings, earning him the Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year award.
“Coming in here, I just wanted to compete and get a feel for my stuff, feel confident going into ’25 and walk out healthy,” Painter remarked last fall. “It felt great. You can’t simulate it in bullpens and everything back at the complex. The adrenaline kicked in and did its part. Everything felt good, and I feel really good moving forward.”
The Phillies plan to carefully manage Painter, who did not participate in any Spring Training games.
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