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Phillies' Rob Thomson Breaks Silence on Andrew Painter Amid Rough Outings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 6:10 PM ET

Pitching in professional baseball is no easy task. That's why there have been many busts throughout the past many years in this league, as it's a completely different game than players are ever used to.

For right-hander Andrew Painter of the Philadelphia Phillies, that won't be the case. Painter is one of the better arms in the prospect ranks, arguably the best.

However, he's coming off a tough outing recently, something the Phillies didn't want to see.

Painter is expected to make his debut sometime in the summer, but if he can't find the zone and continues to give up runs at the level he has, including some below-average strikeout numbers since throwing in Triple-A, there could be some issues that arise.

When speaking to reporters, however, skipper Rob Thomson had great things to say about Painter still. He added that this is a very tough game, and there will be bad starts mixed in with it.

"That's what the minor leagues are for ... It's all part of growth. At times, [struggling in the minors] is a good thing. He's going to have bad starts here and there," Thomson said, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"A lot of guys go through high school, college, even sometimes in the minor leagues where they don't have any failure. And then, all of a sudden, they get to the big leagues and fail for the first time and they really don't know how to get out of it," Thomson added.

Even if Painter ends up becoming one of the top arms in Major League Baseball, he'll have a bad outing here or there.

Some of the best to ever lace them up have all had rough outings, meaning that there isn't anything to be too concerned about yet.

He has a job to do and a job to win, but he seems to understand that.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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