Andrew Painter

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #1 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 70/Extreme.
  
  Track Record: Painter was a decorated amateur who was a unanimous selection for the Preseason High School All-America Team in 2021. The Phillies drafted him 13th overall that year and signed him for an under-slot $3.9 million. As a sign of what was to come, he punched out a dozen and walked none over six scoreless innings in the Florida Complex League in his pro debut. The next year in his first full season, Painter climbed from Low-A to Double-A, dominating at each stop. By moving so quickly, Painter joined rare company. Among prep pitchers of recent vintage, only Dylan Bundy, Chad Billingsley, Forrest Whitley, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw had made it to Double-A in their first full professional seasons. By the time the dust settled, Painter had struck out 155 hitters in 103.2 innings and was named the inaugural BA Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Unfortunately, the righthander was quickly bitten by the injury bug. His right elbow started barking after his first 2023 outing in spring training. He made several attempts to rehab the injury before eventually having Tommy John surgery in late July. He missed the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons before reappearing as part of the Phillies’ contingent in the Arizona Fall League, where he was once again touching triple-digits with his fastball.
  
  Scouting Report: As one would expect from a pitcher who sliced through the minors so swiftly, Painter’s stuff is eye-popping. Before the surgery, his fastball sat in the mid 90s, touched 101 mph and had the excellent shape necessary to miss bats. At its best, it has the potential to be a true 70-grade pitch. Painter backs up his fastball with a slider that has shown signs of being a plus offering, and the low-80s breaker is the most prolific of his offspeed pitches. Later in the 2022 season, Painter began working in his changeup and curveball. The former was a high-80s offering which induced plenty of empty swings, while the latter needed to show more separation from his slider but was on the road to being an average pitch. Painter ties his mix together with pinpoint control that translated level-to-level, culminating in just two walks over 28.1 innings at Double-A. His delivery is smooth, repeatable and has plenty of extension. He also earned high marks for his unflappable mound presence, which served him especially well in the daunting, hitter-friendly atmosphere created by the cozy confines at Double-A Reading.
  
  The Future: If Painter can shake off the rust in the AFL, he’ll enter 2025 with a chance to quickly crack the rotation in Philadelphia. Team officials have no doubt he remains the system’s best prospect and might one day fit toward the top of the rotation at Citizens Bank Park.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 70
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #1 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 70/Extreme
  
  Track Record: In 2021, Painter was a unanimous member of Baseball America’s Preseason High School All-America team, as voted on by amateur scouting directors. Later that summer, the Phillies drafted him 13th overall out of Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. They signed him for an under-slot bonus of $3.9 million. He pitched six shutout innings in his pro debut, then used his first full season to establish himself as one of the best pitching prospects in the sport. He moved from Low-A to Double-A--a rare feat for a prep pitcher in his first full year. Other pitchers to do the same include Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Dylan Bundy, Chad Billingsley and Forrest Whitley. He struck out 155 hitters in 103.2 innings and won BA’s inaugural Minor League Pitcher of the Year award. His strikeout total was good enough to lead the organization by 22. Painter also earned the Paul Owens award, given annually to the top hitter and pitcher in the Phillies’ minor league system. In 2023, he was invited to big league spring training and made one appearance before elbow pain cropped up. He made several attempts to rehab the injury before having Tommy John surgery in late July. He will likely miss all of 2024.
  
  Scouting Report: When healthy, Painter showed an elite combination of stuff, command and poise. His fastball, which parked in the mid 90s and topped out at 101 mph, showed excellent induced vertical break and spin rates in the 2,400 rpm range. All of those factors make the pitch a potential double-plus offering. He backs the fastball with an array of offspeed weapons, the best of which is a potentially plus slider. In 2022, the pitch, which is thrown in the low 80s, produced spin rates in the range of 2,500 rpm and averaged roughly 12 inches of horizontal break. As the season wore on, he showed more conviction in the rest of his repertoire, a high-80s changeup and a high-70s curveball. The former produced respective whiff and chase rates of 55% and 38%, while the latter could blend with his slider but showed average potential at its best. He tied his pitch mix together with uncommon poise for a pitcher of his age and experience and a smooth, repeatable delivery with excellent extension. He has the potential for double-plus control, which showed up when he walked just two hitters in 28.1 innings at Double-A Reading, which is one of the most hitter-friendly atmospheres in the minor leagues.
  
  The Future: If he had been healthy, Painter was a candidate to reach the big leagues in 2023. Now, his first start at Citizens Bank Park will not likely come until sometime in the 2025 season. If he arrives showing the same combination of stuff, control and poise he displayed in 2022, he has a chance to pitch at the front of Philadelphia’s rotation for years to come.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 70
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #1 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 70/High
  
  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.
  
  Scouting Report: 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 average offering. While Painter's pitch mix is excellent, he also shows remarkable poise and maturity on the mound, especially for a 19-year-old. Despite his length he has a repeatable delivery with good body control, excellent hand feel out front and a strong ability to control the running game. He has plus-plus control and walked just two batters in 28.1 Double-A innings. Painter has the traits to profile as a top-of-the-rotation starter in the major leagues.
  
  The Future: Painter bulldozed through the Class A levels on his way to finishing the season with five starts at Double-A. He will start the 2023 season back at Reading, but he's on track to make his MLB debut during the season. He could quickly make his presence felt near the top of the rotation.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 70.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #2 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The No. 2 prep pitcher in the 2021 draft class, Painter became the highest drafted player ever out of the power program Calvary Christian High in Fort Lauderdale. He signed with the Phillies for $3.9 million after being taken 13th overall. Painter impressed in a brief pro debut, striking out 12, walking none and allowing four hits in six scoreless innings in the Florida Complex League.
  
  Scouting Report: Painter has an advanced approach for a prep arm to go along with an impressive four-pitch arsenal, led by a fastball that ticked up from the low 90s in 2020 to sitting in the mid 90s and touching 98 mph at instructional league. The pitch has shown encouraging metrics and is a plus offering. Painter shows confidence in his changeup, throwing the pitch in any count and to both lefthanded and righthanded hitters while adding a different spin axis to it this summer. He throws an above-average mid-80s slider with good spin, and he rounds out his mix with a curveball that flashes plus at times. Painter has plus control, an easy arm action and a repeatable delivery out of an imposing 6-foot-7 frame, giving him the upside to develop into a future No. 2 or 3 starter.
  
  The Future: Painter spent his time at instructional league honing his offspeed offerings, including getting his curveball to a more consistent point and keeping the same spin axis on his changeup that he showed this summer. He’ll make his full-season debut in 2022.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #15 prospect in 2021 draft
  Painter established himself as the top pitcher in the high school class last summer and entered the season as the sole unanimous selection on Baseball America’s preseason All-America Team, as voted on by scouting directors. He was never the hardest thrower on the field, but it is difficult to find a pitcher in this year’s class who checks as many boxes as Painter—which has led to comparisons to 2020 prep righthander Mick Abel. Painter is a 6-foot-6, 230-pound righty with a buttery smooth delivery and a tremendously loose, easy arm action that should give him above-average or plus command in the future. It’s rare to put 60-grade control on a prep arm, but some scouts have even gone as far as putting 70 grades on his future control. In terms of stuff, Painter has a four-pitch mix that’s above-average or better across the board. This spring, Painter has run his fastball up into the upper 90s at his peak, and he’s held 94-95 mph deep into his outings, which is a solid tick up from the low 90s range he settled into last summer. His best secondary is a changeup in the low 80s that scouts put plus grades on, and he throws both a curveball and a slider. Painter’s breaking stuff has been inconsistent at times, but he’s shown enough flashes and general feel for spin for both to project as above-average in the future. Painter was just OK during his first few starts of the season, which caused him to lose his grip on the “consensus top prep arm” label of the class that he entered the season with. Despite that, and despite the industry’s general hesitance to spend significant draft capital on high school righthanders, Painter checks all of the boxes to become a first-round pick and shouldn’t make it to campus at Florida. Calvary Christian had three players drafted in the 2010s (Luke Jackson, Jake Eder, Raynel Delgado) but Painter should become the highest drafted of the bunch, and the highest ever for the program.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #19 prospect in 2024
• Ranked Baseball America's #25 prospect in 2023
• Ranked Baseball America's #5 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 70/High
  
  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.
  
  Scouting Report: 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 average offering. While Painter's pitch mix is excellent, he also shows remarkable poise and maturity on the mound, especially for a 19-year-old. Despite his length he has a repeatable delivery with good body control, excellent hand feel out front and a strong ability to control the running game. He has plus-plus control and walked just two batters in 28.1 Double-A innings. Painter has the traits to profile as a top-of-the-rotation starter in the major leagues.
  
  The Future: Painter bulldozed through the Class A levels on his way to finishing the season with five starts at Double-A. He will start the 2023 season back at Reading, but he's on track to make his MLB debut during the season. He could quickly make his presence felt near the top of the rotation.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 70.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 70/High
  
  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.
  
  Scouting Report: 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 average offering. While Painter's pitch mix is excellent, he also shows remarkable poise and maturity on the mound, especially for a 19-year-old. Despite his length he has a repeatable delivery with good body control, excellent hand feel out front and a strong ability to control the running game. He has plus-plus control and walked just two batters in 28.1 Double-A innings. Painter has the traits to profile as a top-of-the-rotation starter in the major leagues.
  
  The Future: Painter bulldozed through the Class A levels on his way to finishing the season with five starts at Double-A. He will start the 2023 season back at Reading, but he's on track to make his MLB debut during the season. He could quickly make his presence felt near the top of the rotation.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 70.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 60/High
  
  Track Record: The No. 2 prep pitcher in the 2021 draft class, Painter became the highest drafted player ever out of the power program Calvary Christian High in Fort Lauderdale. He signed with the Phillies for a $3.9 million after being taken 13th overall. Painter impressed in a brief pro debut, striking out 12, walking none and allowing four hits in six scoreless innings in the Florida Complex League.
  
  Scouting Report: Painter has an advanced approach for a prep arm to go along with an impressive four-pitch arsenal, led by a fastball that ticked up from the low 90s in 2020 to sitting in the mid 90s and touching 98 mph at instructional league. The pitch has shown encouraging metrics and is a plus offering. Painter shows confidence in his changeup, throwing the pitch in any count and to both lefthanded and righthanded hitters while adding a different spin axis to it this summer. He throws an above-average mid-80s slider with good spin, and he rounds out his mix with a curveball that flashes plus at times. Painter has plus control, an easy arm action and a repeatable delivery out of an imposing 6-foot-7 frame, giving him the upside to develop into a future No. 2 or 3 starter.
  
  The Future: Painter spent his time at instructional league honing his offspeed offerings, including getting his curveball to a more consistent point and keeping the same spin axis on his changeup that he showed this summer. He&#39ll make his full-season debut in 2022.
  
  Scouting Grades:
  Fastball: 60. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 60.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The No. 2 prep pitcher in the 2021 draft class, Painter became the highest drafted player ever out of the power program Calvary Christian High in Fort Lauderdale. He signed with the Phillies for $3.9 million after being taken 13th overall. Painter impressed in a brief pro debut, striking out 12, walking none and allowing four hits in six scoreless innings in the Florida Complex League.
  
  Scouting Report: Painter has an advanced approach for a prep arm to go along with an impressive four-pitch arsenal, led by a fastball that ticked up from the low 90s in 2020 to sitting in the mid 90s and touching 98 mph at instructional league. The pitch has shown encouraging metrics and is a plus offering. Painter shows confidence in his changeup, throwing the pitch in any count and to both lefthanded and righthanded hitters while adding a different spin axis to it this summer. He throws an above-average mid-80s slider with good spin, and he rounds out his mix with a curveball that flashes plus at times. Painter has plus control, an easy arm action and a repeatable delivery out of an imposing 6-foot-7 frame, giving him the upside to develop into a future No. 2 or 3 starter.
  
  The Future: Painter spent his time at instructional league honing his offspeed offerings, including getting his curveball to a more consistent point and keeping the same spin axis on his changeup that he showed this summer. He’ll make his full-season debut in 2022.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Painter established himself as the top pitcher in the high school class last summer and entered the season as the sole unanimous selection on Baseball America's preseason All-America Team, as voted on by scouting directors. He was never the hardest thrower on the field, but it is difficult to find a pitcher in this year's class who checks as many boxes as Painter—which has led to comparisons to 2020 prep righthander Mick Abel. Painter is a 6-foot-6, 230-pound righty with a buttery smooth delivery and a tremendously loose, easy arm action that should give him above-average or plus command in the future. It's rare to put 60-grade control on a prep arm, but some scouts have even gone as far as putting 70 grades on his future control. In terms of stuff, Painter has a four-pitch mix that's above-average or better across the board. This spring, Painter has run his fastball up into the upper 90s at his peak, and he's held 94-95 mph deep into his outings, which is a solid tick up from the low 90s range he settled into last summer. His best secondary is a changeup in the low 80s that scouts put plus grades on, and he throws both a curveball and a slider. Painter's breaking stuff has been inconsistent at times, but he's shown enough flashes and general feel for spin for both to project as above-average in the future. Painter was just OK during his first few starts of the season, which caused him to lose his grip on the “consensus top prep arm” label of the class that he entered the season with. Despite that, and despite the industry's general hesitance to spend significant draft capital on high school righthanders, Painter checked all of the boxes to become a first-round pick. Calvary Christian had three players drafted in the 2010s (Luke Jackson, Jake Eder, Raynel Delgado) but Painter should become the highest drafted of the bunch, and the highest ever for the program.