1 ANDREW PAINTER RHP
Fastball: 70 Curveball: 50 Slider: 60 Changeup: 55 Control: 70 BA Grade: 70 Risk: High
Born: April 10, 2003. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-7. WT: 215.
Drafted: HS—Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 2021 (1st round).
Signed by: Victor Gomez.
TRACK RECORD: Painter a unanimous choice for the 2021 Preseason High School All-America team, voted on by scouting directors. He continued to shine during his senior season at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, and the Phillies drafted him 13th overall and signed him to an under-slot $3.9 million. Painter made four appearances in the Florida Complex League after signing, striking out 12 batters in six scoreless innings before finishing the season in instructional league. In 2022 he emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, rising three levels to Double-A Reading while showcasing a combination of mound maturity beyond his years and an explosive four-pitch arsenal filled with above-average to double-plus offerings. Painter didn’t give up an earned run over his first 32 innings as a pro and finished 2022 with a 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts and 25 walks over 103.2 innings. He was named the inaugural BA Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound righthander stands out for his imposing body on the mound and an electric arsenal that stacks up against any prospect in the minor leagues. Painter’s fastball averages just over 96 mph and tops out at 101 with plus-plus induced vertical break and spin rates around 2,400 rpm, and he has excellent command of the pitch. His primary secondary offering is a low-80s slider that averages close to a foot of horizontal break and spin rates over 2,500 rpm. He rounds out his arsenal with a high-80s changeup and high-70s curveball. While those two pitches aren’t as effective as his fastball and slider, he showed more confidence throwing his changeup as he got further into the 2022 season, adding a different spin axis to the pitch to attack hitters on both sides of the plate. His changeup was his most devastating pitch, with a whiff rate over 55% and a chase rate over 38%. His curveball has a tendency to blend with his slider at times, but it still shows enough to profile as an
