Countless hours of rehab, frustration and determination manifested itself on the pitcher's mound at BayCare Ballpark on Friday night. It wasn't the first competitive pitch Andrew Painter has thrown since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2023; that came during a dominant showing in the Arizona Fall League.
But for the first time in more than 30 months, the Phillies were able to witness their budding star pitch as a Minor Leaguer in a real Minor League game.
The comeback is complete.
More from MLB Pipeline:
? Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
Painter tossed 37 pitches over 1 2/3 innings for Single-A Clearwater, reaching 100 mph on the radar gun three times and averaging more than 98 on his four-seam fastball against visiting Daytona, which won a slugfest, 15-10. MLB's No. 7 overall prospect struck out three, yielded a pair of soft singles (61 and 61.8 mph exit velocities) and a walk before he was lifted with one out in the second after issuing his only free pass.
The right-hander's final line was muddied when both of his runners came home to score during a seven-run frame by the Tortugas. Painter generated nine whiffs on 17 swings and exited his outing with an average spin rate of 2,528 rpm on the 23 four-seamers he threw.
COMPLETE PHILLIES PROSPECT COVERAGE
- Phillies Top 30 prospects
- Prospect stats: Today | Last 10 | Last 30
- Draft pick stats
- Highlights
Regardless of his final line, Painter's return provided an immense boon to an organization that had, and continues to have, immense hopes the 22-year-old can develop into an frontline starter in the Majors. The 2021 first-rounder burst onto the scene in '22 with a 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings across three Minor League levels, reaching Double-A Reading for five late-season starts.
Elbow pain sidelined Painter the next spring and he was eventually diagnosed with a torn ACL that necessitated surgery.
The Florida native returned to the mound in game action this past fall and picked up right where he left off more than two years before. Painter carved out a 2.30 ERA, .189 batting average against, 0.89 WHIP and an 18/4 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 innings to earn Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year honors.
¡°Coming in here, I just wanted to compete and get a feel for my stuff, feel confident going into ¡¯25 and walk out healthy,¡± Painter said last fall. ¡°It felt great. You can¡¯t simulate it in bullpens and everything back at the complex. The adrenaline kicked in and did its part. Everything felt good, and I feel really good moving forward.¡±
The Phillies plan to be cautious with Painter, who did not pitch in any games during Spring Training.