The Philadelphia Phillies won’t waste time inserting Andrew Painter into their rotation once he’s called up.
Phillies have high hopes for Andrew Painter next season
As a recent guest on 94.1 WIP’s Morning Show on Thursday, Phillies manager Rob Thompson declared this about Painter’s upcoming role in 2025 (h/t Philadelphia Baseball Review’s Patrick Gordon):
“Most definitely would be one of our starters,” Thomson said.
Painter will start for Phillies despite elite rotation
The fact that Thomson, without hesitation, declared that their top overall prospect would inherit a starting role out of the gates despite their top-shelf rotation speaks volumes. The Phillies have three 2024 All-Stars in Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez leading their charge.
Their ace, Wheeler, was the 2024 National League Cy Young Award runner-up. Sanchez is an early favorite for the award next season. Suarez was a major contender through the early portion of last season. Former 2018 All-Star Aaron Nola gives them just about as good a No. 4 option as there is in the MLB while Jesus Luzardo provides Philadelphia with a strong backend arm.
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Painter is lauded for his remarkable efficiency and striking stuff on the mound. The 21-year-old’s career 1.48 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and a heater that topped out at 101 mph and 98.3 mph most recently last fall, give the Phillies much confidence that he can mature into a future surefire ace.
How quickly Painter can do so will figure itself out with time. However, the Florida native appears primed to make a splash once he hits the Majors. Strong play as their No. 6 option will give the Phillies the deepest and most potent lineup next time out, and should live up to his projections.
