Hype is brewing around Philadelphia Phillies prospect Andrew Painter, who is expected to make his MLB debut this season. With spring training just days away, Rob Thompson shared some exciting words about the starting pitcher.

While talking with Devan Kaney of SportsRadio 94WIP, Thompson was asked about Painter's demeanor on the mound. The 62-year-old manager claimed that Painter remains relatively calm at all times. Thompson even stated that the former first-round pick is ready to step up and play in the Majors.

“I think he's pretty calm,” said Thompson about Painter. “I was just talking to [Garrett Stubbs] because Stubby was with him all year, how [Painter] was not affected by poor performance, and he was able to bounce back. He's got a short memory, and this is a guy that's never had failure. So, in a way, having failure [in the minor leagues] can be good for him.

“Because if you've never had failure, you don't know whether you're gonna bounce back. Now he's had failure, now he's bouncing back. So, he's gonna have failure again, like everybody does, and he knows, ‘Okay, I'm good. This is baseball. I'm gonna get back, I'm gonna be fine.' I think he's very calm and poised, and I think he's ready for this.”

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Phillies catcher JT Realmuto also had praising words about Andrew Painter. Realmuto compared the 22-year-old prospect to teammate Zack Wheeler. Painter is competing for the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation after being one of the club's top prospects since 2021.

An elbow injury forced Andrew Painter to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2023, which set his MLB timeline back a year. He enters the 2026 campaign with an MiLB statline of 3.44 ERA and 1.195 WHIP, along with 290 strikeouts and a 52.4% winning percentage.