The Andrew Painter hype is real, and we got our first live action of Painter throwing to players yesterday down in Clearwater, Florida.

Painter threw his first live bullpen yesterday, facing off against Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber twice, and John Hicks. Painter got Marsh to ground out and struck out Schwarber on his first at-bat. Schwarber evened out the count in his second at-bat, then proceeded to hit an absolute tank shot nearly onto the highway in right field of the backfield of Baycare Ballpark.

Andrew Painter is welcomed to the big-league’s by Kyle Schwarber

Originally tweeted by Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) on February 22, 2023.

There’s hype around this Phillies team that hasn’t been present since the early 2010s. The Phillies are an elite baseball team heading into Spring Training, something we haven’t said since 2011. Finishing just two games shy of the World Series trophy in 2022, the bullpen has improved, the starting pitching has improved, the lineup has improved, and prospects are finally developing into something special for the ballclub.

I know, it’s crazy. The Phillies are a team that you can put your trust in for a full season.

Nobody has more eyes on them than Andrew Painter, the top prospect in the Phillies organization and the #1 pitching prospect in all of baseball. Just 19 years old, Painter has flown up to the minor leagues and has a real shot to make the Opening Day roster as the “#5” starter.

“All of his stuff is big league stuff. Obviously, this is one day in a live [BP] on a back field, so to say anything other than that is a stretch. But I think that’s about as good as it gets for a live BP, especially this early on in camp. Just the stuff and the command. I’m sure he was probably feeling he could have commanded it a little better, but stuff-wise, it was electric.” – Garrett Stubbs (quotes from Todd Zolecki)

There may not be a better organization in baseball for Andrew Painter to throw to than the Phillies. The deepest lineup in baseball, when healthy, will showcase Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, Trea Turner, Rhys Hoskins, and Nick Castellanos all on one team, with a backend of Stotty, Marsh, and Bohm.

Kyle Schwarber may have won the battle yesterday, but there’s now a friendly war forming between him and Andrew Painter, which Painter said Schwarber is winning right now. But Kyle spoke on the attitude of Andrew Painter and, more importantly, his mentality as a 19-year-old on a team with a veteran core.

“He’s smiling when I step in, then I step in and he’s locked in; it’s gone. That’s impressive. I was in college when I was 19. I don’t think I was that poised when I was in college. He’s out and making sure he gets to know everyone. He’s wanting to get better. He’s asking good questions about pitch shapes, and what did I see in that at-bat? Really impressed by the pitcher, but also the way he’s handling himself in the camp, too. It’s been A-plus.” – Schwarber

The Phillies have their first field action against an opposing team on Saturday with a split-squad matchup. Nick Nelson will start a home game against the New York Yankees, while Michael Plassmeyer will shoot to go two innings away against the Detroit Tigers. No pitchers other than Plassmeyer and Nelson have been announced, but Rob Thomson said earlier in the week that a lot of young guys will pitch on Saturday.

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