Andrew Painter Dominates in Seven Inning Gem

The Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter hurled seven one-run innings for Reading on Saturday.

Author:
Alex Carr
Sep 4, 2022 11:10 AM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

Amidst the mediocrity of the Philadelphia Phillies major league ballclub, it flew relatively under the radar yesterday that Andrew Painter once again dominated in the third start of his Double-A career.

The 19-year-old pitching phenom twirled seven strong innings against a tough Yard Goats lineup, allowing just one run on eight hits, while striking out nine.

Painter has done it all and then some this season. Across three levels, he's managed 20 starts, culminating in 94.2 innings of 1.24 ERA baseball. He's allowed just 57 hits in that span, and has walked only 24 batters. Conversely, he's set down 141 batters on strikes. Those kinds of numbers over the course of nearly 100 innings are borderline unfathomable.

It's going to be fascinating to see how the Phillies approach Painter and his workload next season. He is still so young, and the last thing any organization would want to do is rush their most talented prospect, but it is a tantalizing thought that their premiere talent could be in red pinstripes as soon as next season.

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Triple-A: Guthrie Pulled During Third Straight Multi-Hit Effort

After it was reported that Nick Castellanos would be seeing a specialist about a sore oblique, speculation took hold. The Phillies are very short on outfield talent in the upper minors.

Fortunately, one of their most prominent utility depth pieces in Dalton Guthrie has been on an absolute tear of late, posting his third straight multi-hit effort on Saturday. He was pulled early from said game with no reason provided. Let the speculation begin once more.

Guthrie has had a second consecutive career season, topping a big leap in 2021 with an outstanding 2022 in which he's hit .302 with an .839 OPS. His contact tool is a confirmed plus at this point, which is an exciting development for the former sixth rounder.

At 26-years-old, Guthrie has gone from nothing to something over the course of two seasons, and has proven himself ready for the biggest leap of all.

Double-A: Andrew Baker Named Phillies System Pitcher of the Month

In a more than deserved announcement, the Phillies named Andrew Baker their Minor League Pitcher of the Month on Saturday.

In 11 appearances in the month of August, Baker allowed just three earned runs, a 1.93 ERA. In that same span, he struck out 23 batters, and walked only four.

Something has really clicked with the young fireballer. He is dominating at every level, including a stunning appearance on Friday when he followed up Griff McGarry, and fanned three across two perfect innings.

He has a chance to rocket through the Phillies system.

High-A: Two More Hits for Baron Radcliff as Scorcher Continues

For the second game in a row, Baron Radcliff lashed two hits for the BlueClaws. Both were singles.

Radcliff was named the Phillies' hitter of the month for August on Saturday after posting an unreal 23-game slash. He hit .347 with eight home runs, while slugging at a .733 clip. That month alone brought him over the .800 OPS mark on the season.

It's been a tough year as far as strikeouts go for the 23-year-old, but there is some optimism about the young outfielder's eye given his three-true-outcomes nature.

It's been a career season for him, and he will surely begin 2023 with Double-A.

Single-A: Threshers Place Justin Crawford on Injured List

After three straight days of postponements, the Threshers finally managed to get a double-header in on Saturday. Players were likely a bit rusty, explaining the lacking results.

Among other news, the Threshers placed Justin Crawford on the 7-day injured list on Saturday with no specific injury named.

Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Norfolk Tides: L 2-7

LHP Erik Miller - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

RHP Mark Appel - 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

Reading Fightin Phils vs. Hartford Yard Goats: W 3-1

RHP Billy Sullivan - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

OF Johan Rojas - 0-for-4, 2 K

Jersey Shore BlueClaws vs. Hudson Valley Renegades: L 13-2

INF Kendall Simmons - 3-for-4, R, BB

RHP Sam Jacobsak - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Clearwater Threshers vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers: L 2-1, L 4-1

RHP Gunner Mayer - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K