Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter, arguably the highest pitching prospect in all of baseball, reported feeling “tenderness” in his elbow and has been despatched for testing, supervisor Rob Thomson introduced to reporters Friday (hyperlink by way of Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer). The skipper didn’t present additional specifics on the kind of assessments being carried out or the group’s stage of concern. Extra data is predicted to be supplied tomorrow.
Simply 19 years previous, Painter was the No. 13 general choose within the 2021 draft and has soared by means of the Phillies’ system to the cusp of MLB readiness in lower than two years’ time. He pitched throughout three ranges in 2022 — Class-A, Class-A Superior and Double-A — working to a mixed 1.56 ERA with an enormous 38.7% strikeout fee, a powerful 6.2% stroll fee and a tiny 0.43 HR/9 mark by means of 103 2/3 frames. Each Baseball America and MLB.com rank Painter as the sport’s greatest pitching prospect and one of many high six general prospects within the sport.
Regardless of his youth and lack of Triple-A seasoning, Painter was vying for a spot within the Phillies’ Opening Day rotation. Philadelphia at the moment has Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and offseason signee Taijuan Walker locked into spots, however Painter has been competing with Bailey Falter (amongst others) for the fifth and closing place in Thomson’s rotation. He simply made his Grapefruit League debut earlier within the week, tossing a pair of innings in opposition to the Twins and permitting a run on three hits and no walks with one strikeout. Painter tossed 29 pitches in that outing, usually hitting 99 mph together with his heater.
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There’s little sense in speculating as to what kind of damage, if any, Painter could also be battling. The Phillies are involved sufficient to ship him for testing of a point, which is trigger for apparent trepidation among the many fan base. Then once more, it needs to be emphasised that it behooves the Phillies to proceed with as a lot warning as potential, given Painter’s upside and long-term worth to the membership. Up to now, there’s no indication that the group expects a critical damage to be at play.
If Painter had been to overlook time, be it a quick shutdown in camp or a keep on the injured record as soon as the season is underway, Falter’s grip on the ultimate rotation spot would seemingly tighten. The 25-year-old appeared in 20 video games with the Phils final yr, 16 of them begins, and pitched to a strong 3.86 ERA by means of 84 frames. Falter’s 21.2% strikeout fee was a bit beneath common, however his 4.9% stroll fee was among the many greatest in baseball — tied for Twentieth-best among the many 159 pitchers who tossed at the least 80 innings.
