The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off an improbable run to the World Series last season, where they ended up losing to the Houston Astros. There's no shame in losing to a very good Astros squad, but it had to hurt Philadelphia to make it all the way to the championship just to come up short on the game's biggest stage.

As a result, the Phillies have been hard at work adding to their squad this offseason. Their biggest move involved signing Trea Turner to a massive 11-year, $300 million contract, shoring up the biggest hole on their roster in the process. Adding Turner to their already star-studded lineup makes Philadelphia even more dangerous than they were in 2022.

The Phillies aren't as strong pitching wise, but they do have one of the top starting duos in the league in Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola. They could add to their pitching staff throughout the remainder of the offseason, or they could opt to make an even bigger decision and give one of their top prospects in Andrew Painter a call to the majors that he proved last season to be deserving of.

Andrew Painter deserves a spot in the Phillies rotation

If it weren't for the fact that he's only 19 years old, Painter would likely rank higher on prospect lists than he currently does right now. Painter was the Phillies first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, and he has been absolutely lighting up the minors ever since then. And heading into the 2023 season, there's a decent chance that Painter could end up finding his way to the majors, if he doesn't automatically end up there to begin the season.

Painter spent time at A+, A, and AA last season for the Phillies, and was lights out each step of the way. Painter's final numbers on the season throughout each stop at the minors (6-2, 1.56 ERA, 155, 0.89 WHIP) are really, really good, and it seems like the sky's the limit for Painter, who at 6'7, is an imposing presence on the mound.

There are immediately some concerns that could flare up as a result of promoting Painter. For starters, he's only 19 years old, although he will turn 20 in April. He's already proven to be skilled, but the Phillies may opt to err on the side of caution when it comes to his development. With a prospect like Painter, there's no sense in forcing the envelope when you don't necessarily have to.

Painter also has only pitched in five games at the Double-A level. Granted, his numbers in those five starts still look superb (2-1, 2.54 ERA, 37 K, 0.95 WHIP) but it would still be outrageously risky to throw him to the wolves in the majors after such a limited amount of time in the minors. But Painter may actually be that good.

From what we have seen so far, Painter has the potential to come in and immediately be a contributor for the Phillies. He won't be posting ERA's under two right out of the gate, but he has ace-like potential, and that's extremely rare to find in a prospect. So far, there's nothing we have seen to suggest that Painter isn't capable of reaching his very-high ceiling.

It's also worth noting that behind Wheeler and Nola, there are some question marks in the Phillies starting rotation. Ranger Suarez has proven to be a solid third option behind these two stars, and Taijuan Walker was signed in free agency to help out as well, but there isn't really a fifth starter right now. Maybe Bailey Falter is the guy, but he may be better suited for the bullpen.

Giving Painter the fifth spot in the Phillies rotation doesn't seem like a totally terrible idea given the circumstances. Yes, there would be heightened expectations given Philadelphia's World Series aspirations, but Painter would have a ton of protection pitching behind a strong starting staff, and if Falter looms behind as a potential mop-up guy, there's certainly some benefit to starting Painter off in the majors in 2023.

There's obviously a lot of risk associated with this move, but the payoff could be truly incredible. Painter has dominated early on in his minor-league career, and from a pure development standpoint, it may make more sense to start him in Triple-A and let him develop a bit more before calling him up to the majors.

But why wait if you already know what the answer is going to be? Painter has proven his potential time and again for Philadelphia, and it doesn't feel like there's a real reason to wait at this point. The Phillies have a need for another starter to close out their rotation, and Painter has proven he can be the guy. For that reason, he should start the season in Philadelphia's starting rotation.