High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 1: Andrew Painter is a can't miss prospect

Episode Date: February 3, 2023

Don't have time to listen to the entire High Hopes pod? Check out this segment where James Seltzer and Jack Fritz express their excitement for Andrew Painter's development and Phillies career. Presented by Miller Lite. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

you mentioned it but andrew painter man and and seeing him come up and like possibly blossom into future ace and then okay super important andrew painter question for you ari you'll finish your thing and then i'm gonna jump with a super important i got all right i got excited about it because so so i just saw um i believe he's number 13 on keith law's list, friend of the podcast or not friend of the podcast. I think I saw him at, I'm not sure. I saw him like top 12, something like that. I think on another list. Do you get excited when you see him that high or does it bother you that he should be higher and he's not higher how do you as a prospect wonk that you are and a and a

um like a intaker of all these lists i mean consumer of all that you love to see where all these guys are ranked like let's say for the law one andrew painter at 13 is that like really cool that he's the 13th ranked prospect in the sport or is it it like, yo, he's better than that? So twofold. One is that, like, welcome to opening your eyes. Of course, he's a better prospect than... I think Grayson Rodriguez stinks. Like, I haven't seen it from him.

Like, I don't like the mechanics. I don't like the stuff. I don't like any of it. So, like, congratulations on finally realizing that Andrew realized that andrew painter who like has walked under a a guy per nine a double a at 19 and struck out 13 plus is like a better pitching prospect real quick just for those who don't know grayson rodriguez prior to like these lists like commonly accepted as the best pitching prospect in baseball. It's absurd. It's absurd. I'm sorry. It is. It is. So, like, congratulations.

I will say, like, it makes me happy. It does. But to be completely honest, like, it makes me happier than McAble's on them. Yeah. And then he's still, like, rising. Yeah, because I think he's at 77 on loss. Because I expect Andrew Painter to be top 10 because he's like been talked

about he's starting to get buzzed seeing abel still thought of as in a high uh regard as good and i saw dude griffin gary was at 51 on baseball baseball prospectuses 51 51 um so where was abel on there he had to be after 51 i would think right they have mad abel i think he was ahead abel but i i don't i forget i don. I don't have it in front of me. It's just so exciting that all three guys are generating massive buzz. But my other point, just to lay my cards on the table, if it was a hitting prospect, I'd probably be a little bit more excited. Pitching prospects just kind of and

this has been burned in fantasy baseball for like the last 10 years tell me about it i don't i never get excited about pitching prospects now like ever so so the fact that boris whitley just get like picked up off like waivers by somebody like this guy was like the number one pitching prospect to me it's lucas giolito's fault frankly it's all lucas giolito's fault he came around at least eventually and now he's gonna get non-teners like copac like then he's like had moments but isn't good you know like it's it is such a crap show with these guys exactly so i guess i've just been burned by it for so long that i'm like i'm'm really excited. I can't wait. I think he's going to be unbelievable here,

but it's like, I, if it was a hitter, it'd be such a different story, you know? Cause like hitters, I feel like just generally it's so much easier to protect them. And I will say,

I will say, I really do believe that in, to your point in playing 20, over 20 years of fantasy baseball. And, you know, I believe that in, to your point and playing 20 over 20 years of fantasy baseball. And, you know, I've been in, I'm in dynasty leagues. I've been in long-term keeper leagues,

minor league spots, all that stuff, having done a lot. And not to your level, you're a sicko when it comes to knowing the minor leagues and all that. But I will say like with painter, just not even just from partially from watching him, obviously, all that um but i will say like with painter just not even just from partially from watching him obviously but really just from from stats and looking at his profile and his resume essentially and all that like it seems like as long as he stays healthy he's gonna be awesome like that

guys who guys who do what he what he's been doing at the levels he's been doing him at the age he's been doing out like they're usually pretty yes like um like for example jeff pontus uh who does uh prospect writing for baseball america uh he said he's the best pitching prospect he's ever seen i mean dude like it's not like it's not crazy it's not again you pointed out and it wasn't like a ton of innings, but the dude had like a 12.6K per nine and a.6 walks per nine in double A at 19. You don't play in double A at 19 unless you're a freaking – you don't even lace them up in double A at 19 unless you're like a superstar prospect. And this kid is like doing – like if he had like a three ari at 19 or if he had like a you know what uh if he was striking out a batter per nine and walking two per nine at 19 in double a i'd be like wow that's pretty damn good like good for you buddy like it's insane what he's well and

to make it even you know get get the hype train going even more. Like, uh, I guess he just started like throwing to get ready for like spring training and stuff. So like, yeah, obviously you shut down your arm. Like I always shut down from October to about January. Basically the same thing as what painters probably doing.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I had to get back up to 82. He's one sub pitcher to another, you know, just guys talking, just talking baseball, you know just just baseball prospect baseball prospect i do have i did have one email from the cubs in high school so it's absolutely no big deal to me but um i got offered

to tour a union college's campus for football nice you didn't want to go that route? No, I was never going to play. I was more like a friend of mine, a favorite of my coach. A courtesy invite. Who went to Union. Not a guy. But I guess he just recently started throwing bullpens in anticipation for spring training at Cressy.

And if you don't know anything about Cressy, it's like it's where they got Brian Kaplan from, who's like the director of pitcher development or whatever. So like the liaison in a way between the major league pitching stuff and the minor league pitching stuff. Things that smarter organizations do now.

And apparently he was just like sitting 95 already. Like just already sitting 95 from day one. And in looking at like photos, he's already jacked. So it's just he's the best pitch. He's the best prospect the Phillies have had, I think, ever. I mean, I know Cole did the same thing.

Now in my lifetime, this is the best one. I mean, he's better than Don Brown. He's the best. Yeah. He's the best. He is the best prospect he's best ever had I also liked that he was there for the playoff games and stuff you know we saw him walking around like all that like I just like that's kind of you know I like that he good got exactly it's like Reese is here

and he's like yeah I spent my whole career and never heard anything and then obviously just saw up like he's like you know from his minor days now, like we never really did anything. Got there. So he's always like, oh, it's probably not really real. Like, I don't believe this. Like painters come up being like, I know what I could do. I know the kind of games I could pitch in. Like, that's cool.

I think that's probably at least somewhat of a motivator. Well, and people forget that I did say to him, hey, this will be you next year. So when he's standing on the mound in game six and pitching the Phillies to a World Series title, just remember that one man, again, like I just mentioned, pitcher to pitcher, we locked eyes. I locked eyes. Yep. And you're tall.

You had to look up. Oh, well, he's massive. I know. I know. That's my boy. Huge. And Lanky's got it. It's's good he's got it all so uh yeah so i gave him a whole like little motivational talk um and i look forward to when they're making

the parade speed i gave him me when he's on the when he's on the float and he's going down broad street and eventually gets back to the spank park he's okay i was here last year. One very smart, well-educated looking fan said to me, see you next year. Oh, you're implying that he wouldn't know it was Jack Fritz. He's probably like, oh. I know. Why do I want to get too cocky? The radio superstar Jack Fritz told me,

you got this, kid. Next year, that's you. And it was all I needed to hear. It was really the, if I had to look back and pick a moment, when he's accepting the World Series MVP, the youngest World Series MVP in the history of the sport, I'm just assuming. And he, you know, hey, Andrew, can you believe it?

Rookie season, you're here now accepting the World Series MVP. How did this happen? Well, Tom,arver, Tim. Sure. Tim McCarver. He's a Colorado World Series game since 2013. I was going to say Tom McCarver, Tim McCarver, lots of people. Probably Joe Davis and John Smalls.

I said Tom McCarver instead of Tom McCarver. Regardless, whoever's in the locker room. Well, I look back to that moment. It really just, it all turned for me. And Jack Fritz, radio superstar, said, you got this, kid. Well, what people really forget is I also saw him down on spring training last year walking around the ballpark. You're right.

People do forget that. So it all came full circle at the Super Bowl, at the World Series. Oh, Freudian slip there. I know. Well, I can't imagine a city being in the World Series and the Super Bowl, at the World Series. Oh, Freudian slip there. I know. Well, I can't imagine a city being in the World Series and the Super Bowl in the same year. It's unbelievable, Jack. I mean, in all honesty,

I started doing radio 11 years ago or whatever, 12 years ago or whatever. Right? Right? I had one Super Bowl in 12 years, and now all of a sudden there's a World Series and a Super Bowl like four months apart. It is... big fan.

Do this more guys. Do this more. Andrew Painter is going to be better than any eagle. So that's any eagle. Put up the poll. Who will have a better career? Andrew Painter or Jalen Hurts? Yes.

Do you think it's like 99 to 1? Honestly, it would be a mistake. I think Hurts is going to have an better career Andrew Painter and Jalen Hurts yes do you think like you know 99 to 1 honestly it would be a mistake I think Hurts gonna be have an amazing career Andrew Painter is going to be awesome like I I he's he's a pitcher so we can't you know and like we talked about before but like I legitimately let to your point if I had to stake my whatever my house on a Phillies prospect before they ever threw a ball or swung a bat in Major League Baseball this is the dude I would take to this point in my life this is the guy I would most want to stake my house on