Andrew Painter Trending in the Right Direction for the Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies were heavily relying on Andrew Painter to quickly become a mainstay in their rotation during the 2026 season. 

The start to the rookie pitcher’s career has been a roller coaster of highs and lows. The good news is that Painter has truly begun to show growth in his game over the last few weeks, giving the Phillies a glimpse of what he can be once he hits his prime.

Through Painter’s first six starts of his big league career, the right-hander logged a 6.89 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. For a pitcher who was known for his velocity and a complementary off-speed pitches, Painter only had a strikeout rate of 19.6 percent during that stretch.

Perhaps the biggest area Painter needed to work on was limiting hard contact. His opponent’s average exit velocity sat at 89 mph, with the max exit velocity being 113 mph through his first six appearances.

It appears that Painter is starting to turn the corner in his rookie season, though. His last three starts have been much stronger, and he’s looking more and more like the formidable starting pitcher the Phillies envisioned Painter being.

Painter’s last three starts have come against the Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Guardians. In those three outings, he owns a 2.60 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.

There’s still room to grow in the punchout numbers, but Painter has really cut down on the hard contact he’s giving up. His opponent's average exit velocity has been 85 mph, a stark drop from where it was to start the season.

After Painter’s start on Sunday, he said the key to this recent uptick in production over the last few weeks has been his ability to establish the zone early and throw first-pitch strikes.

“I think if you establish that you can throw strikes and you’re going to be aggressive in the zone, and just kind of creates some early swings [and] early outs,” explained Painter.

Looking at the rookie’s stats and outlook on a larger scale, Painter was put into a tough position at the start of the season. 

Yes, he always had the potential to be an ace of a staff, but there was obviously going to be some learning curves and growing pains for him to get to that point. It just so happens that Painter’s rookie season is coming in a year when the Phillies are actively trying to win a World Series, so the margin for error is small.

The important piece is that Painter continues to show growth, and as that continues, he and the Phillies will be better off. 

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