The Philadelphia Phillies got a nice win against the Washington Nationals in their latest game, and they may have learned a lot about one of their rookies in the process. Andrew Painter made his long-awaited debut for the clubhouse, and it was everything that they were expecting, and maybe more.

The right-hander struck out eight batters over 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run. The hype seems to be real, and many are already hoping to build a case for him to win Rookie of the Year just a week into the season.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com is one of those people who sees the hype in Painter, and he broke down his performance in his first start.

“Painter had great stuff, but the poise was there, too,” Zolecki said. “He works out of a jam in the second, but even before that, teammates kind of marveled at how calm Painter seemed to be. J.T. Realmuto said Painter was at ease at his pre-game planning meeting. Kyle Schwarber said, ‘I thought I was going to see Painter pacing around the clubhouse.' But he wasn't; he seemed very relaxed. And Marsh said it as well. It looked like he had been there before.”

If his teammates see the vision, then that means the hype has to be real. Painter made a good debut, and the hope is that he can continue that strong play as the season continues. If so, the Phillies have a chance at deploying one of the better pitching rooms in the league.