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The Philadelphia Phillies' top prospect Andrew Painter is set to miss the remainder of the 2023 season.
Painter is one of the most talented young pitchers in the nation. The 20-year-old is currently the Phillies top prospect, ranked as the best pitching prospect in baseball, and is the eighth overall prospect in the league, per MLB.
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The highly rated prospect, who has been sidelined due to a tear in his right elbow since March, is set to undergo Tommy John surgery. The news is a major setback for both the young man and a Phillies organization hoping to make a late playoff push.
The decision by the organization to wait appears to be a major miscalculation and will likely cost Painter an additional year on the sidelines. After the news was announced, Phillies fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration.
The Phillies saw something special in Painter and drafted him with the 13th pick of the 2021 MLB draft. He has rapidly worked his way up the ladder and was expected to make his major league debut this year after a promising 2022 season and 2023 spring training.
Painter is known for an effective fastball that can hit the high-90s. He also has a range of off-speed pitches he is comfortable throwing including a slider and a curveball.
Pitcher Andrew Painter is ranked the No. 8 overall prospect in the MLB
Andrew Painter had shown glimpses of brilliance over his young career.
The rising start had a phenomenal 2022 season in various levels of the Philadelphia Phillies system. Overall, he finisheded with a 6-2 record and a 1.52 ERA over 22 starts. He finished with 155 strikeouts over 103.2 innings and an impressive .89 WHIP as he worked his way up to AA ball.
After a 2023 spring training game, All-Star Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins said Painter is "going to be a star" after the then 19-year-old effortlesly worked his way through a talented Twins lineup.
Tommy John surgery is never a quick heal and fans will have to be patient with Andrew Painter. The one positive is that the pitcher still has time on his side. The young man is set to turn 21 years old in October of this year.
