Top Prospect Andrew Painter Strikes Out 9 in Debut with Clearwater
The Phillies 2021 1st round pick Andrew Painter made his debut for the Single-A Clearwater Threshers on Saturday night striking out an impressive 9 batters in only 3 innings of work.
Painter (0-1) took the loss despite only allowing 1 unearned run. In what is somewhat of a wild stat line, the 19-year-old who is a towering 6’7” 215 pounds allowed 3 hits, walked 1 batter and struck out every single batter he managed to retire.
Painter, the 13th overall pick from Calvary Christian High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL was the second consecutive right handed prep arm selected by the Phillies after Mick Abel was taken by the Phils in 2020. Painter was the 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of FL. His final year of high school he pitched to a dominant 0.31 ERA with 91 strikeouts in only 45 innings.
Painter’s draft profile and early scouting projections after one year of professional ball both point to a prospect capable of developing on at least 3 above average pitches. If he reaches his ceiling, he could end up near the top of a MLB rotation.
With the recent success of Bryson Stott and Mickey Moniak, I am feeling a hell of a lot less skeptical of Phillies prospects in general. Painter is certainly someone I’ll be keeping a close eye on during the minor league season.
[…] his professional debut, Painter struck out nine batters in only three innings of work. A week later he was equally as impressive, striking out […]