After missing the last two seasons due to injury, Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter is turning heads in the Arizona Fall League.

According to Baseball America, Painter pitched 10.0 innings in the developmental league, striking out 10 batters. He has a 2.70 ERA and regularly hits 99-100 MPH with his fastball.

Ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies organization, there is a chance Painter could start the 2025 season in the Phillies rotation. It’s not a guarantee, and the team would be very careful with his innings, but he has that kind of talent. Additionally, he was a good candidate to make the rotation out of spring training in 2023 before getting injured.

If the team wants to be careful with him, they could always start him in the minors and watch his innings, perhaps elevating him to a bullpen role later in the season. He could be a dominant force in the bullpen as he returns as well. All options are on the table for Painter and the team right away.

Painter is currently ranked as the 32nd prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com.

The following is from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

It’s a testament to his abilities that Painter is still considered one of the best pitchers in the game when he’s on the sideline. His combination of hardware, size and throwing feel adds to the confidence he has, with a legitimate mix of four pitches at his disposal. His fastball can reach triple digits and was averaging around 96 mph at the end of 2022, and he throws both a sinking two-seam as well as a high-spinning four-seam in the zone. His slider is an out pitch, low 80s offering with a ton of break and huge spin rates. His upper-70s curveball gives a different look and his above-average changeup has really improved.

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