Andrew Painter, the Phillies’ 19-year-old star pitching prospect, has a tendency to wow the competition.
One of the first batters he faced in his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday was Carlos Correa. If you can recall, the Phillies showed interest in Correa this past offseason. Their top choice among the four star shortstops was Trea Turner, but Correa wasn’t far behind. Correa, who is as studious as they come, researched the Phillies farm system and learned a lot about Painter, a fellow Scott Boras client.
The Phillies ended up signing Turner to a $300 million contract. After agreements with the Giants and Mets fell through following disputes over an ankle injury he previously sustained, Correa re-signed with the Twins.
“I didn’t want to go to a team where I was going to just lose and never make the playoffs ever again,” Correa told reporters, including MLB.com‘s Todd Zolecki. “I knew who he was.”
Correa ended up singling on a weak grounder deep into the hole at shortstop, but Painter began the at-bat with two fastballs that touched 99 mph.
He was impressed, telling reporters, “I believe this kid’s going to be a star.”
There was a sense that the Phillies were trying to keep things simple for Painter in his debut. Thomson mentioned during his postgame session with the media that Painter threw first-pitch fastballs to every batter he faced. He expects Painter will attack hitters differently in his upcoming outings.
Overall, Painter threw two innings and allowed a run on three hits in his debut.
Before he took the mound in Fort Myers, Painter amazed teammates and coaches with his stuff and poise as the pressure and attention that comes with being a top prospect fighting for a roster spot mounted. Wednesday was Painter’s first taste of big league competition and it appears he’s well on his way to proving he belongs.
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