Kyle Schwarber welcomes Phillies top prospect to spring training
Looking to become the first teenager to start for the Phillies since 1980, Andrew Painter is hoping to continue the dominant start to his professional career and turn that into a rotation spot in the MLB.
In a recent batting practice session Painter faced a group of big leaguers including Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh.
Painter got his first taste of the majors when Schwarber took him deep.
Leaving a curveball hanging down the middle of the plate, Painter seemed to know it was gone when he threw it.
Schwarber watched the ball fly and shouts "Suck it, Painter" before removing his helmet and celebrating up the first-base line.
Painter and his teammates laughed it off, while Schwarber may have won that battle, he knows that Painter has the talent to be special.
Schwarber told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that he was "wowed by the stuff" that Painter has, and he was "Really impressed by the pitcher, but also the way he's handling himself in the camp, too. It's been A-plus."
"It's the Painter Show!" said Marsh, adding "It looked every bit of 110 [mph], Painter's going to be a dawg for sure."
Catcher Garrett Stubbs caught the live session, and he was also blown away by the young pitcher's electric stuff. "I think that's about as good as it gets for a live, especially this early on in camp. Just the stuff and the command...it was electric."
With spring training just getting started, Painter seems to be on the right path to breaking camp with the big-league team in 2023.
Having all the makings of a potential franchise cornerstone, fans in Philadelphia are hoping they can watch this young star dominate in a Phillies uniform for the next decade plus.
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