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The Philadelphia Phillies are gearing up for the 2025 season and one of their top prospects is hoping to get called up to the big league club this season. Andrew Painter, a top 10 prospect, has been getting advice from future hall of famer Cole Hamels during spring training.
“He had a good changeup,” Painter said via MLB.com. “I wanted to pick his brain about that. Grip, different arm slots, stuff like that. The guy knows a lot. It’s a pretty standard grip. I just wanted to see where he was on the seams and stuff like that. It’s been something I’ve been messing around with. I had a little bit of success in the [Arizona] Fall League, but I don’t like the profile of the pitch.”
Hamels had positive feedback for Painter after working with him as a guest instructor.
“It’s just talking pitch philosophy and what you do,” Hamels said. “Basically, it's how long you stick with something as you're trying to figure out a new pitch. How you learned it. How long did you mess around with it before you started to search for something else.
“And so that was kind of it. I was asking why and how he went to that certain grip and what he's trying to do with it, and then how long he plans to stick with it. If it works, great. Just in how to tinker with something and the when and where.
Painter is expected to join the Phillies' rotation at some point during the 2025 season. Hamels believes he is up to the task.
“He wants to be good,” Hamels said. “You can definitely tell that he wants to be good. He just needs to get the experience. He understands that. I like how he goes about his business. He's not trying to go outside of himself to prove to everybody.
“Sometimes when you get labels and the expectations, you want to show people why they gave it to you all the time. And I think he's going through a very good process in staying within himself to take care of his work.
The Phillies are looking to make it back to the World Series this fall and Painter could help them get there.
How did the Phillies offseason get graded?
According to The Athletic, the Philadelphia Phillies' offseason earned them a B. They did not have much to do, keeping a large part of the roster intact.
“The Phillies did not have massive holes to fill, and their biggest move was to strengthen a rotation that was already awfully good. Their trade for Jesús Luzardo raises the ceiling of their back-end starters, lengthening the rotation even before top prospect Andrew Painter is called up to the majors.”
The Phillies will attempt to end their 17-year World Series Championship drought in 2025.
