1 Major Adjustment Has Andrew Painter on Track for Phillies

A major adjustment has Andrew Painter performing at a much higher level for the Philadelphia Phillies.

May 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) walks off the field against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Andrew Painter coming into the 2026 MLB regular season.

He was the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the organization, and No. 2-ranked overall behind only shortstop Aidan Miller. The talented righty was highly regarded overall, coming in at No. 28 in MLB Pipeline’s top 100.

A unanimous top 100 prospect according to every outlet, Painter had high expectations, ready to handle his first Major League action. However, things did not go according to plan out of the gate, with the star prospect struggling mightily.

Through seven appearances, Painter had a 6.89 ERA through 32.2 innings pitched. He had surrendered five home runs and walked 12 batters, struggling to consistently get opposing batters out.

Andrew Painter struggled to start 2026 season

May 13, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

There were glimpses of dominance against the Washington Nationals in his debut and the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he allowed one run in each appearance. Alas, there wasn’t much else to be excited about through those seven appearances.

Painter wasn’t giving his team much of a chance to win, with the Phillies going 2-5 in games he pitched in. Some bad luck could have contributed to the lack of production. He did have a very high .369 batting average on balls in play, and his 4.83 FIP indicated there was some bad luck.

Alas, Philadelphia expected more from him based on his lofty prospect ranking. Something had to change, and over his last three starts, it looks as if something has been unlocked courtesy of an adjustment to his pitch mix.

As shared by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com on X, Painter has completely revamped how he is using his six-pitch arsenal. Through his first seven appearances, he was relying heavily on his four-seam fastball.

He threw it 236 times, making up 38% of his offerings. The pitch used second most was his slider, which he threw only 109 times, coming out to 17.6%. His sinker was used 13% of the time, thrown 81 times.

Andrew Painter's new pitch mix yielding strong results

May 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The other three offerings, his split-finger, curveball and sweeper, had similar usage rates. They were thrown 69, 67 and 59 times, coming out to 11.1%, 10.8% and 9.5%.

Over his last three starts, he has scaled back the four-seam usage in a big way. It is still his most thrown pitch, used 60 times, but the usage rate has plummeted to 28.2%. What is he using more in its place?

His slider usage has jumped to 25.4%, being thrown 54 times. The split-finger and sweeper have also increased to 17.8% and 16.9%, showing hitters a much better mix of shapes and velocities.

Andrew Painter is 0-1 with a 2.60 ERA in his last three starts. A look at how his pitch usage has changed from his first 7 appearances (6.89 ERA) to his last 3. pic.twitter.com/1dkVjC9Mp5

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) May 25, 2026

Painter has turned to more of a four-pitch mix, with his sinker being used only 16 times at 7.5% and curveball only being thrown nine times at 4.2%.

The results are impossible to argue against. The Phillies are only 1-2 in his last three starts, but his performance has been night and day compared to his first seven appearances. He has thrown 17.1 innings in his last three outings with a 2.60 ERA, giving up only one home run and issuing four walks to go along with 10 strikeouts.

The defense behind him has improved as well, with a batting average on balls in play of only .250. A refined pitch mix has helped Painter get on track and turn around his performance after a tumultuous start to his career.

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