Painter sits down 9 at Double-A

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Top prospect fans nine at Double-A (Sept. 9)
In a blowout win, someone's got to handle the majority of the load on the mound.

Andrew Painter was that guy in Double-A Reading's 11-0 win over New Hampshire.

MLB Pipeline's No. 25 overall prospect spun five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk while fanning nine batters.

The first-round (13th overall) selection in the 2021 MLB Draft has made a quick incline through the Phillies' farm system. He began this season with Single-A Clearwater and had made his way up two levels prior to the big leagues.

In his 2022 campaign, the 19-year-old has made 21 starts and tossed 99 2/3 innings while fanning 150 batters. He's proven that he can hang at the next level, accumulating a 1.11 ERA at Double-A over four starts. -- Ethan Sands

Abel works five innings of one-hit baseball (Sept. 4)
Mick Abel starts the month like he did in August, blanking opponents.

The Phillies’ No. 2 prospect was on his “A” game on the mound, as he struck out eight while allowing one hit in five scoreless innings in Double-A Reading's 4-2 loss to Hartford.

The 21-year-old started the game dealing as he fanned five of the first eight batters he faced. Abel’s lone blemish came third inning through a double but zoned in rest of the way as he finished the night with 76 pitches -- 50 of them strikes.

He lowered his ERA to 3.91 and brought his K tally to 121 in the 99 innings he has pitched this season. -- Edwin Perez

Painter fans nine in first start of the month (Sept. 3)
Andrew Painter started the month doing what he has done all year long: making people whiff.

The Phillies' No. 1 prospect keeps generating swings-and-misses, as he struck out nine while allowing one run off nine hits in seven innings of work in Double-A Reading's 3-1 win over Hartford.

The 19-year-old faced trouble as someone reached base in five of the seven innings he went, but escaped jams by striking out batters. Painter finished the night with 92 pitches -- 69 of them strikes -- in his start.

He lowered his ERA to 1.40 and brought his K tally to 141 in the 94 2/3 innings he has pitched this season. -- Edwin Perez

Rojas triples, doubles twice for Reading (Sept. 1)
Johan Rojas made sure he went the extra mile from the leadoff spot.

The No. 5 Phillies prospect stroked his fifth triple of the season, doubled twice and scored a run in Double-A Reading's 5-4 loss to Hartford at Dunkin' Donuts Park. It was Rojas' eighth three-hit performance of the season, fourth since the beginning of August and his first game with three extra-base hits.

The 22-year-old has actually performed better since his promotion from High-A Jersey Shore, batting .267 with a .733 OPS in 47 games with Reading. Rojas has swiped a career-high 57 bases in 61 attempts, the 10th-highest total in the Minors. -- Michael Avallone

At 19 years old, Painter dominant in Double-A debut (Aug. 21)
It might be reasonable to question how a 19-year-old pitcher, of any pedigree, would fare at the Double-A level, but Andrew Painter is cut from a different cloth. Though instead of wiping away watercolors, this one is mopping up opposing batters.

Painter, the Phillies’ top-ranked prospect and No. 25 in baseball, proved his status at a third rung of the Minor League ladder this season alone, tossing six shutout innings with eight strikeouts in his Reading Fightin’ Phils debut.

“I was really excited just to get my feet wet, experience Double-A and put my stuff to the test here,” Painter said after the 8-0 win over Portland. “I wanted to really accept the challenge and it went well.”

Outside of three softly hit singles and a hit batsman, Painter’s stuff was untouchable. He consistently pumped his fastball into the upper 90s and spun his slider and curveball for called strikes and whiffs, only mixing in “about five or six” changeups because the primary offerings were too dominant. Full story ?

Abel deals in first Double-A start (Aug. 20)
Mick Abel made a good first impression.

The Phillies’ No. 2 prospect earned his callup after posting a 4.01 ERA and striking out 103 in 85 1/3 innings with High-A Jersey Shore. The 21-year-old allowed two runs off four hits while striking out eight in six innings of work in Double-A Reading’s 4-3 win over Portland.

The righty was dealing throughout his start, as he retired 17 of the 24 batters he faced. Abel finished the night with 89 pitches – 62 of them strikes – in his start.

He lowered his ERA to 3.94 and brought his K tally to 111 in the 91 1/3 innings he has pitched this season. -- Edwin Perez

Phillies promoting Painter, Abel to Double-A (Aug. 14)
The Phillies are promoting their top two prospects, right-handers Andrew Painter and Mick Abel, to Double-A Reading, Jonathan Mayo has learned.

Painter, the team's No. 1 prospect and No. 50 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, and Abel, the team's No. 2 prospect and No. 52 overall prospect in baseball, have both been pitching for High-A Jersey Shore.

Painter is just 19 years old, and Abel is 20, but both pitchers have impressed the Phillies enough to earn a promotion. Painter, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, has a 1.19 ERA and 118 strikeouts across 75 1/3 innings in 17 starts this season. Abel, the No. 15 overall Draft pick in 2020, has a 4.01 ERA but 103 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings over his 18 starts.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski even suggested in late July that Painter and Abel could be in play for the big league rotation as early as 2023. -- David Adler

Painter fans nine over seven scoreless (Aug. 13)
It comes with the name. Andrew Painter has been sensational in his eight starts at High-A and has been consistently painting the corners.

Philadelphia's top-ranked prospect has pitched in just eight games with the BlueClaws, but he's already obtained three wins to his ledger, all earned in consecutive starts. His most recent success came in Jersey Shore's 8-0 win over Greensboro.

The 13th overall selection in the 2021 Draft left the Grasshoppers clueless over seven scoreless innings while allowing four hits, a walk and fanning nine batters in the process. The outing dropped his ERA to 0.98 at High-A after three straight scoreless appearances.

The 6-foot-7, 215-pounder has only allowed runs in two of his starts since being promoted on June 6. After a rough first appearance with his new squad, the 19-year-old was sent to the Development List on June 21 and his time ripening has proved fruitful since being reactivated on July 2. -- Ethan Sands

Crawford burns up bases in pro debut (Aug. 10)
Justin Crawford didn't register a hit in his first game as a professional ballplayer but still made his presence known on the bases.

Philadelphia's first-round pick in last month's Draft walked twice, was hit by a pitch and stole three bases as the Rookie-level FCL Phillies fell to the Yankees, 9-3, in a game suspended by weather and completed a day later.

Crawford walked on five pitches to lead off his pro debut and immediately swiped second. After being hit by a pitch in the third, the 18-year-old scored from first on a two-out double by Cole Moore.

Crawford walked again in the fourth and once more stole second. In his last trip to the plate, Crawford reached on a force play in the sixth before stealing second again.

The outfielder, son of former big league All-Star Carl Crawford, went to the Phillies 17th overall last month with his 70-grade run tool leading the way in MLB Pipeline's scouting evaluations. -- Tyler Maun

No. 1 and No. 2 prospects complete one-two punch (Aug. 6)
A prime example of a one-two punch was on full display in High-A Jersey Shore.

First- and second-ranked Phillies prospects Andrew Painter and Mick Abel dominated and struck out a combined 19 batters in a doubleheader for the BlueClaws against Hudson Valley.

“Both of them just had their stuff going,” pitching coach Brad Bergesen said. “They really both set the tone early on in the game and I really saw them kind of control the game from their first pitch to their last pitch of the night.” Full story >>