Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter walks onto the field before the start of a spring training workout at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 12, 2025. Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Phillies' Top Pitching Prospect Paints a Mini-Masterpiece at Triple-A

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Jami Leabow | Last updated May 8, 2025 10:08 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies, understandably, have been taking baby steps with top prospect Andrew Painter. After all, he is returning to the mound after missing two seasons with an arm injury that led to Tommy John surgery.

That step was much bigger on Thursday in a battle that pitted the game’s No. 1 pitching prospect and the No. 1 overall prospect, as ranked by MLB Pipeline.

Painter, a 22-year-old right-hander and the No. 5 overall prospect, threw three innings for the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, against the Worcester Red Sox. He allowed one hit, struck out five and walked three batters, departing with a 1-0 lead.

He led off the game with a strikeout of outfielder Roman Anthony of the WooSox, who is the game’s top prospect.

Lehigh Valley won 3-1 in a game called by rain after six innings.

The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Painter sailed threw the first 2.2 innings. He allowed a first-inning single to shortstop Marcelo Mayer, the No. 9 overall prospect, and stranded him there.

Painter ran into some trouble with two outs in the third inning but escaped; he walked Anthony, Mayer and Nick Sogard all in a row before retiring Blake Sobol for the third out.

All five strikeouts came via his curveball, MLB Pipeline reported.

Andrew Painter strikes out five in three one-hit frames in his Triple-A @IronPigs debut.

The @Phillies' No. 1 prospect utilized his curveball for all five punchouts. pic.twitter.com/sfvlhVAWcX
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 8, 2025

This was just the third appearance at the Single-A level or above for Painter since 2022.

The Phillies selected Painter with the No. 13 pick of the 2021 MLB Draft out of high school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. And in 2022, he made a quick rise through the minors, moving from Single A to High A after nine games, then to Double-A Reading after just five games.

He finished the season with a 6-2 record, a 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 103.2 innings. He walked 25 over his 22 starts.

Painter got his feet wet this spring by starting four games for Class-A Clearwater. He tossed 11.1 innings and gave up five runs, posting an 0-2 record with a 3.97 ERA.

The Phillies likely will continue to be cautious with Painter. While he certainly appears he could be helpful as the season progresses -- and Philadelphia battles the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves for supremacy in the National League East -- team officials also must weigh Painter’s considerable long-term upside as they make decisions.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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