Andrew Painter’s Fastball Stats With Phillies Will Shock You

The fastball numbers from Andrew Painter left a lot to be desired.

Jun 12, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning at American Family Field. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Coming into the 2026 season, there was a lot of excitement surrounding Philadelphia Phillies rookie pitcher Andrew Painter.

He was the top prospect in the organization and was viewed as arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball. Expectations were high since he was set to replace Ranger Suarez, who departed in free agency, in the rotation.

It was a decision the Phillies were hoping to see through, but eventually, enough became enough. After another brutal outing against the Miami Marlins, in which he gave up six earned runs in two innings, Painter was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley along with left-handed relief pitcher Tanner Banks.

His production, or lack thereof, certainly warranted a move to the minor leagues. But, there is one area of his game that stuck out as a true detriment to him finding any success on the mound: his fastball.

Opponents crushed Andrew Painter's fastball

Jun 17, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Andrew Painter (24) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

When Painter would turn to his four-seamer, opponents would pounce. They mashed the pitch to the tune of a .404 batting average and a .660 slugging percentage. 

To put into perspective just how good those numbers are, the highest batting average in the MLB currently belongs to Otto Lopez of the Marlins with a .332. The best slugging percentage is owned by Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros with a .640.

Essentially, when facing Painter’s fastball, opponents turned into a combination of the hitting prowess of Ted Williams and the power stroke of Barry Bonds. To the surprise of no one, that yielded some brutal overall results.

Painter made 14 total appearances before being demoted and had a 1-8 record. His eight losses were the most in the Big Leagues at the time he was sent down, and Philadelphia went 3-11 in games that he pitched in.

Following today’s game against the Miami Marlins, the Phillies optioned RHP Andrew Painter to Lehigh Valley (AAA). A corresponding roster move to replace his spot on the 26-man roster will be made tomorrow.

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 17, 2026

At the time of his removal from the rotation, following a 12-4 loss to the Marlins on June 16, the Phillies had a run differential of -18 on the season. However, if you removed the games in which Painter appeared, the run differential would jump to +27.

Not only was Philadelphia losing when Painter took the mound, but they were also doing so in blowout fashion. It was putting a strain on the bullpen to cover way too many innings, especially with Aaron Nola behind him in the rotation, and he wasn’t giving his team much of a chance to compete and win.

Figuring out a fastball is his No. 1 priority back in Triple-A. Likely abandoning the four-seamer, which hasn’t returned to form since Tommy John surgery, is something that has to be done in favor of a cutter or more splitter usage.

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