Andrew Painter: All you need to know about the 19-year-old Philadelphia phenom impressing at Phillies camp

Andrew Painter is taking the Philadelphia Phillies' spring training by storm. The 19-year-old prospect is blossoming into a stud right before their eyes, and is making his debut on the mound today against the Minnesota Twins.

Painter has dominated spring training and looks ready to make a leap, though his performance against real opponents will be a true test.

Painter is the Phillies' top prospect, and he's sixth in the entire farm system. He ranks just behind the New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe and the St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker.

The young pitcher appears ready to make an impact on the team, but he's not expected to be in anything but AA this season. If he impresses in spring training, that timeline could be moved up significantly.

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Andrew Painter drawing high praise

Andrew Painter has drawn a lot of praise and the Phillies can't wait for him to come to the big leagues. Should he arrive sooner rather than later, he would bolster the Phillies' rotation tremendously.

His catcher, JT Realmuto, compared him to the late Miami Marlins superstar Jose Fernandez via the Philadelphia Inquirer:

“There are definitely similarities, stuff-wise, between the two. Painter’s got more pitches than José had. José's three pitches — fastball, slider, changeup — were really good. But [Painter’s] throwing five pitches already that are all plus-pitches.”

JT Realmuto raved about Andrew Painter

Realmuto, who caught some for Fernandez before joining the Phillies, continued to rave about the 19-year-old prospect:

“I think that he has every bit as much upside as José had at that age, just based on pure stuff. It’s electric. And it’s easy, too. He’s not out there ripping it as hard as he can. It looks easy, and it just flies out of his hand."

He added:

“They’re completely different personalities. José was super-loud, kind of obnoxious. I don’t want to say Painter’s not confident, but José was outwardly confident, almost cocky, but in a good way. He was that dude, and he knew it. That’s who Painter is as well, but he’s a little more reserved about it.”

Painter could very well be the next big thing and he's already turning heads in Spring Training.