'The mound is still the same distance': Painter mostly dominates in brief Triple-A debut
This browser does not support the video element.
Andrew Painter's comeback might not be complete in the eyes of some until he becomes a big leaguer. Such is the pressure of being one of the best pitching prospects in the sport.
However, recovery from Tommy John surgery is rarely linear, and baseball's top RHP prospect has traversed a path from the operating table to hours of rehab to, finally, live Minor League action.
Painter's latest journey has brought him -- literally and figuratively -- within shouting distance of the Majors.
The 22-year-old made his much-anticipated Triple-A debut and looked every bit the part of MLB's No. 5 overall prospect. Painter opened the game by striking out baseball's top-ranked prospect, Roman Anthony, and spun three scoreless innings during Lehigh Valley's 3-1 rain-shortened win over visiting Worcester on Thursday night at Coca-Cola Park.
Painter retired eight of the first nine WooSox batters, five via the strikeout, before losing command briefly in the third inning. The Florida native issued three consecutive walks with two outs, but rebounded from a 3-1 count to induce a popout to end the threat.
Painter, who completed a season-high four innings during his last start for Single-A Clearwater on May 1, threw 60 pitches (34 strikes) and maxed out at 98.3 mph on his four-seamer, averaging 94.4 mph on the pitch. The 6-foot-7, 215-pounder generated eight whiffs on 22 swings.
“I thought it was good," Painter told reporters after the game. "I would have loved to go out for the fourth [inning]. I got myself in a little trouble in the third but worked myself out of a jam, and at the end of the day, I can’t complain about that."
The 2021 first-rounder looked to be well on his way to a fourth and possibly a fifth inning after throwing just 30 pitches in the opening two frames. But after setting down the first batters of the third, he loaded the bases on three consecutive walks to cap his outing.
"I wanted to go out there and throw a lot of strikes," Painter said. "I did a good job for eight outs, and then kinda lost it a little bit, but adversity is something you always want to work yourself out of. It’s good to get in those situations. ... There’s no one to come to save you. It’s just you against the hitter and you’ve got to get yourself out of it."
The Phillies are being cautious and exercising patience with their prized hurler, who is pitching in Minor League games for the first time since September 2022. Painter did make six starts in the Arizona Fall League and took home the circuit's pitcher of the year honors.
His outing for the IronPigs was his only his sixth above High-A, the first five coming nearly three years ago with Double-A Reading. He spent the first five weeks of 2025 in the Florida State League before heading to the International League.
“I felt pretty good," Painter said about pitching at Triple-A for the first time. "It's just a different environment, different hitters. The mound is still the same distance.”