High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 2: Dreaming about Andrew Painter

Episode Date: January 18, 2023

Don't have time to listen to the entire High Hopes pod? Check out this segment where Jack Fritz expresses his excitement for Andrew Painter possibly making his MLB debut this summer. 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

Andrew Painter's first playoff start. It's been something I've been thinking about a lot recently. Like, you know, him coming up and morphing into, like, the next ace of possibly Major League Baseball. Like, you know, I think it was Gelb. I'm sorry if I forget who it is because I do. But someone wrote, I think it was Gelb. I'm sorry if I forget who it is, because I do. But someone wrote, I think. You're like, I'm sorry if I forget.

I should say, I'm sorry that I forget. I think it was Gelb. But there's been three, I think there's been three teenagers since like 1980 that have pitched in Major League, since 1990, that have pitched in Major since 1990 that have pitched in major league baseball and like he could be the fourth one like felix hernandez um kershaw and it was a todd van popple is that who it was james i mean you're old yeah look at you todd van popple yeah he was a legit legit guy uh didn't work out became a reliever at a certain point and all that but yeah but it's like a polar but we're thinking about this kid could come like and the way that they're not like they're not downplaying any of the andrew painter stuff like it i i kind of my read at the end of last year when they're talking about i was

like yeah i i get it but like this is a pretty big ask for a 19 year old and ever since then everything you've seen written about him is like no he's gonna be in the rotation it's like what planet are we living in right now the guy who was in high school uh two years ago by the time the season starts is now expected to be a major contributor on a team that has world series aspirations. And when you go through the starting staff, you're like, all right, Wheeler, Nola, Ranger. That's a great one, two, three. And I'm guilty of this too, James.

Dude, what if Andrew Painter is just ridiculous? And it's like, so you, and then Tywin Walker becomes your five. Like, you know what I mean? Like, it's freaking, I keep having to. I can what I mean? I keep having to calm myself down because it's like, alright, he's probably going to throw 100

innings this year. I don't want to get ahead of myself. We've seen young pitchers come up all the time and struggle and it's usually like, takes a couple years, figures it out, figures out the game, comes back and is dominant. Honestly, in a perfect world, James, he like that's the like honestly in a perfect world james he comes up struggles not in a perfect world in a in a in a in a perfectly fine realistic world that we've seen a million times over with pitching prospects

come up struggle maybe get sent down and then like two years from now is when they pop like that's how it usually works for pitching prospects. But there's also a chance that he's just so like stupid good that he comes up and easy. He's already, he could easily surpass like Ranger and Nola. And then it's, it's, it's right at the top of the rotation.

Like the way he's talked about, the way they talk about maturity, the mechanics, the command, a hundred miles an's talked about, the way they talk about maturity, the mechanics, the command, 100 miles an hour, his strikeout rate, his walk rate, it's all freaking absurd. And we actually have a mega prospect, James. We actually have a real one. I mean, he's the best pitching prospect in baseball now. MLB.com, MLB Pipeline, he's like number one now.

He's out of Grayson. We have the number one pitching prospect in the sport on the phillies like the number one like the best one the top guy and the part that made me even happier was that abel is in there too you know nine nine two like that's not low no and jack i think it's so it's a really fascinating thing because i it's one of those where to to your point, and look, I think the expectation should be set at what you said, that it is likely he will not just come up and dominate. He might be fine. He might be good. He might be whatever.

But up and down, up and down is just what normally happens with these guys. But, but, but when you are this good, this young, like when you're pitching at the level that he's been pitching at as good as he's been pitching, I mean, that's either, either as a hitter or a pitcher, like when you're 19 and you're this elite, this ready for the majors. I mean, those are the guys who become inner circle hall of famers. You know, the guys who become 10 time all-stars like more often than not when you're this, uh, precocious, so to speak, like you end up being a great player, like outside of injuries and stuff. Like it's more often than not, you know, the guys who come up at this age and can, can compete at this age you're it means you're you're truly great and have a chance to have a truly great career and obviously again you know

pitchers and injuries and all that but um look i i he has i mean look when he comes up like he after wheeler has the best stuff on the team right i mean like immediately and like arguably better stuff than wheeler like arguably like he doesn't have the experience and the know-how and the pitching but just pure stuff like this kid is elite elite elite elite elite elite like he is the best prospect in the sport the best pitching prospect in the sport jack so yeah like i i think he could be a real difference maker it's just a real question like what do you do how do you how do you manage this thing because you obviously have to get to the playoffs and obviously it seems like you know there's there's a clear spot for him in this in this thing you know where there's clearly a open spot at five and you know we're gonna see falter and we're gonna see guys mix in and out and all

that but like these kids never pitch that many innings to your point he's 19 and there's a team that wants to win the World Series. And as far as it goes for me, like I want Andrew Painter to, like if I have a choice, if I have a hundred innings of Andrew Painter this year, like I would really like it if like 30 of them were in the playoffs. Like, I don't know if that's a possibility, you know? So like it's a, it's a really, would be a lot but you know i mean let's

say let's say 15 of them in the way it's whatever like um it it's it's a it's a it's a high wire act in a lot of ways too you know that that how do you use them and when you use them because remember what happened remember what happened to strasburg of course and many other guys like that like that's a that's a classic ace too i mean, Kerry Wood, we've seen a lot of those guys who get used heavily earlier in their career and just kind of are never the same after it. So, for example, like in what we're talking about here, and now, obviously, there's some massive examples, you know, like Kershaw ended up being unbelievable. And he came up really young. and he came up really young. Felix Hernandez came up really young, and they became Inner Circle Hall of Famer. Well, do you think Felix is a Hall of Famer?

I think he is. Yeah, he's a Hall of Famer. Not an Inner Circle, but he's a Hall of Famer. Kershaw is one of the three best of a generation. But the one prospect that I compare him to, and I remember the hype around them was really, really big, and he had the similar kind of projections of this guy's, you know, he's going to be a stud, is Gialito. Sure.

Yeah, it took him a little while. Right, but at the same time, so his last year in AA, by the way, this is at 21 21 years old he had a 9.1 k's per nine and he had a walk rate of 4.3 walks per nine andrew painter at double a at 19 years old struck out 12 per nine and had a walk rate of 0.6, James. Dude, that's insane, dude. That's like, it doesn't seem possible. I mean, Lucas Chialito is the best pitching prospect in baseball. Yes.

Yes, he was. Yes, he was. Dude, yo. That's the thing is like, you know, his rise to your point to talk about the mechanics, the maturity, and the stuff. And then the numbers, like it really, like he should be the number one pitching prospect in baseball. And if he stays healthy, he like, he's a hall of fame talent, like legitimate hall of fame talent. Like if he,

if things go well for Andrew painter, you know, like, not even like best case, Best case is inner circle. That's the kind of talent he has. But if his career, with what he's done to 19, if his career just continues projecting and he stays healthy, he'll be a Hall of Famer. That's what this is at this age. Forrest Whitley, best pitching prospect in baseball for a couple years.

Injuries hurt him and whatever. But for a long time there, untouchable in trades, was the number one pitching prospect in baseball for a couple years. Injuries hurt him and whatever. But for a long time there, untouchable in trades, was the number one pitching prospect in baseball. We get it. 20 years old at AA. 11.6K per nine. 3.8 walk per nine. Well, that's the thing.

The.6 walks is like. .6 is just insane. It's like, I almost cursed. I was going to say bat crap. You know, it's a bat. Yes. It is. It's nonsense. Like, that is nonsensical, man. Yes. cursed is i was gonna say bat crap you know it's a bat you know yes like it's it's it is it's nonsense like that is nonsensical man yes yes yes so um like i i know that and like zach wheeler

could go down there and pitch a full season in the minors and probably have a 0.6 walk rate like what are we doing um and and i think you know it's funny people ask us like how the pod's gonna change like as as we get more as the team's better now and whatnot but i would say the biggest change in in the last couple years of the podcast is like i don't really do the like i still have my guys with the prospects but it's not like this guy's gonna be the next like superstar like you know back in my younger days but it's like with andrew painter it just slaps you in the face like it just slaps you in the face about how good this guy can be um and i it's just it's it's it's hard to factor in what they could possibly possibly be getting here and how much he raises the ceiling for this team

like we talked a lot about in the last you last offseason about going and trading for an ace. I know I wanted to go get Shane Bieber and whatnot, but there's a very real chance that Andrew Painter just comes up and is in that class, and then two years from now is one of the top five pitchers in baseball. That's what we're talking about. Like Walker Bueller or something. Even better.

Actually, even better. That's what we're talking walker bueller or something even better yeah even better that's what better that's what we're talking about i was trying to be a young guy i was like i did that right away like that yeah it's it's it is freaking insane man and uh yeah uh andrew painter not even factoring in it's like he's in my plans for the 2023 Phillies. But, like, shame on me. It's probably got to be more. Dude, the real loser in this whole thing is your poor 2026 Phillies. I know. Platform. I don't even know.

It was not even a take. It was like a platform. I couldn't wait. I couldn't wait. It turned out you didn't have to. Didn't have to.