Andrew Painter
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| Photo: Hannah Ally Photography |
Bio:
Age: 20
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 215 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Hometown: Pompano Beach, Florida
Draft Profile: 1st round, 13th pick of the 2021 draft by Philadelphia
Drafted Out of: Calvary Christian High School (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Career Stat Line: 103.2 IP 6-2 W/L 1.48 ERA 167:25 K:BB .181 AVG. 0.88 WHIP
Shoutout Kurtz for this week's Minor League Spotlight, a big righty taking the Phillies' organization by storm. Andrew Painter's large frame and high velocity captured the eyes of pro and collegiate scouts early on. Ever since bursting onto the scene, all he's done is dominate.
As a freshman at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, he went 5-0 in nine appearances, allowing just one earned run. He'd received interest from Miami, Alabama and Florida State but quickly committed to the University of Florida after attending one of their camps and receiving an offer (Florida Rivals). The kid called the decision a no brainer.
That summer was a busy one for Painter, also representing Team USA on the 2018 U-15 national team. He went 2-0 on their run to a gold medal, racking up thirteen strikeouts and a 0.90 ERA in a team-high ten frames (MLB Static). His performances earned him All-World honors for the tournament.
Tenth grade was Andrew's most active for the Eagles, going 7-2 in eleven appearances with a 7:1 K:BB rate and 1.43 ERA (Max Preps). In the process, he helped Calvary Christian capture a 4A State Championship victory over American Heritage, in a nerve-wracking 2-1 showdown (Max Preps).
COVID shortened a junior season that had the makings of a dominant one for the righty, only allowing one earned in his three starts with 27 K's. It did set the stage for an outstanding finale to his high school career though. At 6'7", the top ranked Floridian towered over much of his competition on the mound, and delivered with such imposition. He went 6-1 as a twelfth grader, striking out 93 and letting up just two earned runs. His performances earned him the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state.
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| Photo: John McCall/ South Florida Sun |
Among other pro teams, Philadelphia's scouts took sharp notice of the senior, attending every one of his starts. They spoke highly of his three pitch repertoire-- featuring a fastball that touched 97 and two off speed pitches that projected as plus-- as well how he carried himself as an individual. "This is a kid who desires to be great and really gets after it," said Brian Barber, Philly's scouting director (NBC Sports).
Barber was so enamored by the prep prospect that he decided to take him with the 13th pick of the 2021 draft. After signing a $3.9 million dollar bonus, Painter was officially a Philly (ABC27). The organization kept him in the Florida Complex League for the remainder of the short season, where he made four scoreless appearances.
2022 was a big year though for the kid. He started at Class A for the Clearwater Threshers, going 1-1 in nine starts with a 1.40 ERA before getting a promotion to the Jersey Shore, where things got even better. 3-0, a 7:1 K:BB ratio and a sub-one earned run average...absolute domination by the nineteen year old (MiLB.com). He finished up at AA Reading, where he got hit a little bit more by the opposition. However, 37 strikeouts compared to just two walks was a display of incredible control.
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| Photo: Delco Daily Times |
The hype train got derailed a bit this year unfortunately, possibly due to some legitimate mismanagement by the Philadelphia brass. Painter was dealing with an elbow injury that the team hoped would subside without an invasive procedure. That ended up not being the case, with their top prospect ultimately needing UCL reconstruction surgery a few weeks ago.
There's a ton of justified clamor about why this wasn't done months ago, as the delay probably cost him the 2024 season. It's a development we hate to see in one of the more electric prospects in baseball. Fingers crossed for a quick recovery and a successful bounce back.
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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