By Steve Kelly
Phillies 2021 first-round draft pick Andrew Painter started Sunday’s High-A game between Jersey Shore and Wilmington and flashed two plus pitches in a planned two-inning stint., according to The Athletic’s Keith Law:
Painter is huge — 6-foot-7 and listed at a light 215 — and the ball comes out like you’d expect from a pitcher that physical.
He was 95-98 in his 28-pitch outing on Sunday, with the ball getting in on hitters very quickly, and paired it with a plus curveball at 76-81 that had depth and angle to it and that he could use to get a called strike against a lefty.
He didn’t throw a changeup in the game or, I think, in warmups. He’s on line to the plate and has a high three-quarters slot that makes great use of his height.
He’d skipped a start the previous series as the Phillies try to manage the 19-year-old’s workload in his first full season in pro ball, so this was like a rehab outing as they build him back up to making full starts again.
Other than wanting to see a third pitch, I couldn’t have asked for more from him.
