Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter. (Credit: MLB.com)
This time, it's for real.
On Tuesday, Phillies manager Rob Thomson accidentally said that the team's top prospect, Andrew Painter, was going to pitch at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday.
That wasn't true. Painter pitched at Low-A Clearwater last night.
But come next Thursday, Painter will, in fact, be in Allentown pitching for the Iron Pigs against Worcester.
It’s really happening this time: Andrew Painter’s next start will be at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/xQqJQnfx8J
"His stuff has been good," Thomson said, Friday. "I know he gave up a couple home runs last night, but I think we want to ramp up the competition for him now."
Painter threw four innings Thursday. The first three were perfect. He got a little fastball happy in the fourth inning and gave up two homers, but on the whole, his stuff has been good. His average fastball velocity has dipped with each start, but the final pitch he threw last night was 98 MPH, so he should be fine.
Prospect Watch
Andrew Painter
A+ Clearwater
5.1 v Dunedin
4 IP 3H 3ER 2HR 0BB 2K 42 pitches
Velo is a tick down but not a concern as he hit 98 on final pitch. Got burned by 2 fastballs middle-middle, which happens. A lot of contact on FF but it’s the primary pitch in recovery pic.twitter.com/2eqEjFj5EW
The Phillies have been bullish on their message of getting Painter to the majors by "Julyish." But, if you take a more realistic approach to the buildup plan, you can see that he could arrive to the majors a hair sooner than July.
If Painter is to pitch once a week, he could make his next six starts at Lehigh Valley (Thomson said he would throw 4 innings or 60 pitches, whichever comes first, next week). If they all go smoothly, that could put him on track to come up to the Phillies when the team is in Miami to take on the Marlins June 16-19.
Considering Painter is from Florida and the Marlins are a bottom-feeder as far as opponents go, it could be a good spot to make his debut.
But a lot can happen between then and now. Maybe Painter doesn't pitch as well as expected and needs to cook in the oven a little longer. Or maybe a current starter is injured in the next six weeks, accelerating the time for his Big League debut.
Who knows? But either way, Painter's arrival to the majors is just one step away, and the time he arrives is creeping ever closer.
