Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson had a whole lot to say about one of the team's top prospects.
The Philadelphia Phillies' farm system isn't all that deep, but there is certainly quite a bit of impressive talent near the top.
Perhaps the most eye-opening piece of all is pitcher Andrew Painter, who is prepared to make his big-league debut with the Phillies this season.
Painter labored in Triple-A last year, pitching to the tune of a 5.40 ERA over 22 starts, but that also represented his first full season back since undergoing Tommy John surgery back in 2023.
Philadelphia has big expectations for the right-hander heading into 2026, and following his exhibition outing against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, Phillies manager Rob Thomson had some good things to say.
"He’s showing poise and he’s showing that he has the mentality of a big-leaguer," Thomson said, via Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Painter went 2.2 innings versus the Orioles, allowing three runs on five hits while recording four strikeouts.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter. Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.The numbers weren't pretty, but Thomson appreciated Painter's ability to fight through some jams, and he thinks Painter's 2025 struggles helped him in that regard.
"I think going through the trials and tribulations that he went through last year has helped him," Thomson added. "In a way, that might sound funny, but he’s always had success so last year was a way of teaching him that when you have failure, you can come back from it. He’s pitched well."
Painter was originally selected by the Phillies with the 13th overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft and had a terrific debut campaign in Philadelphia's system, logging a 1.56 ERA while surrendering 67 hits and racking up 155 strikeouts over 103.2 innings of work.
The 22-year-old entered 2023 viewed by some as a top-five prospect in all of baseball, but an elbow injury ultimately thwarted his attempt at further building his stock.
Painter's standing has certainly dipped since then, but with the Phillies losing Ranger Suarez to free agency and with Zack Wheeler still recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, he'll get the chance to re-establish himself as a top young arm this spring.
Philadelphia will open up at home against the Texas Rangers on March 26.
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