Andrew Painter didn't give up a hit in his first 2026 Spring Training start with the Philadelphia Phillies.
There’s been so much hype and excitement surrounding Andrew Painter so far during the Philadelphia Phillies training camp, and for good reason.
Painter made his next big step toward both his Phillies and MLB debut on Saturday, making his first spring training start of the 2026 Grapefruit League. There was a lot to like from this outing, too.
The right-hander threw 20 pitches over two innings, giving up no runs, hits, or walks, and striking out one batter. An overall efficient appearance for Painter as he looked as advertised, as the organization’s top pitching prospect.
Painter said the goal of Saturday’s outing was “trying to get ahead early, not fall behind. That was an issue that I kind of fell into last year. Just trying to get ahead [in the count] get into pitchers’ advantage counts, and go finish guys.”
Painter showed off every bit of his six-mitch, throwing his fastball, changeup, curveball, sinker, sweeper, and slider at least once. However, it was the four-seamer that Painter threw the most, but his sweeper and slider each generated two of the pitcher’s three whiffs.
The fastball itself was probably the most impressive pitch Painter threw on Saturday. It topped out at 97.8 mph and had plenty of life and movement, too.
“Definitely felt a little better. It's been better this offseason. It was a really good offseason and I put in a lot of work,” said Painter about the pitch.
Mar 1, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Andrew Painter (76) walks off the field after pitching against the New York Yankees in the first inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesBox score and stats aside, it was simply nice to see Painter back on the mound in a Spring Training game after he missed so much time over the last few years with injuries.
Even Painter admitted that, saying, “first time in three years, out there for spring training start. Anytime you go that long without, throwing the ball or doing that sort of stuff there's always there's always some juice.”
There’s still a long way to go before Opening Day, but if Painter continues to throw the ball like this, there’s no question he’ll break camp with the Phillies and could be a key piece of their rotation during the 2026 season.
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