Phillies Star Prospect Rightfully Picked as Best Newcomer

Crawford isn’t the reason the Phillies are struggling to score, just as Painter doesn’t have a hand in the team’s struggles on the mound. The right-handed pitcher was named the best newcomer for Philadelphia this season in the newest edition of MLB power rankings over at The Athletic (subscription required) and rightfully so.

His raw numbers don’t jump off the page with a 4.42 ERA through 18.1 innings with 20 strikeouts and a 1-1 record. But he has done an incredible job of limiting self-inflicted damage, with bad luck being responsible for some of his shortcomings.

Painter has a batting average on balls in play against him of .377, which is well above the league average of .290. The average exit velocity of 86.7 mph and hard-hit rate of 30.9% are both below the league average, which are excellent signs.

He has elite strikeout-to-walk numbers, which are a good indicator of future success more so than ERA. His K/BB ratio is 5.00, and his walk rate is a minuscule 5.0%, almost half of the league average, which sits at 9.7%.

His 2.49 FIP is another indication that bad luck has plagued him in the early going and that better days are ahead when it comes to his overall numbers and raw production.

Painter has already faced some challenges in his first four career outings. He dealt with migraines ahead of his scheduled start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which turned into a five-inning relief outing on the back of opener Zach Pop.

His introduction to the rivalry against the Atlanta Braves followed that, getting a start on April 19 against their National League East foes.

Painter has managed to more than hold his own, and he is going to play a major role in the team, stopping its skid and turning things around.