The education of Phillies phenom Andrew Painter included workouts (and hoops) with Max Scherzer

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Andrew Painter had wrapped up his final offseason workout and said goodbye to his trainers and strength coaches when he bumped into a fellow pitcher with whom he trained over the last three months.

“OK,” Max Scherzer said, extending his hand, “hopefully I’ll see you.”

Scherzer is 38, a future Hall of Famer with three Cy Young Awards and three other top-three finishes; Painter is 19, newly crowned by Baseball America as the top pitching prospect in the sport. Scherzer is nearing the twilight of a career as a generational pitcher; Painter is only just getting started as a prime candidate to win the Phillies’ fifth-starter job.

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But their paths almost certainly will cross again, and probably soon. They may even share a mound in a game this season in New York or Philadelphia. In any case, Scherzer and Painter rank among the biggest factors for the Mets and Phillies, respectively, in trying to unseat the Braves as National League East champions.

For most of the winter, they hung around each other at Cressey Sports Performance, an elite training facility in South Florida visited by many professional athletes. Painter would throw a bullpen session, then linger to watch Scherzer. They would talk about training regimens, throwing routines, nutrition, and more.

Sometimes, they even shot hoops.

“We’d have a big group of guys that played, so that was kind of what connected us at first,” Painter said, seated at his locker after a spring training workout this week. “He’s competitive. He’s good. You know Max. Everything’s a World Series for him.”

OK, sure. But Scherzer vs. Painter, at least on the basketball court, would seem like a mismatch. In addition to the age difference, Scherzer is 6-foot-3 compared to Painter, every bit the power forward-sized 6-7 that he’s listed by the Phillies.

Advantage, Painter?

“A little bit,” he said, laughing. “[Scherzer] is a physical guy, though. It’s definitely cool to watch.”

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All eyes have been on Painter throughout the first week of spring training, with many of the Phillies’ veteran players remarking on his maturity. Kyle Schwarber teased him Wednesday morning about whether he was able to sleep in anticipation of throwing to hitters for the first time in live batting practice. Painter shot back respectfully, the only way that a rookie can.

Then, Painter hung a curveball and Schwarber belted it toward U.S. Highway 19, which runs beyond the right-field fence.

There were “ooohs” from a gaggle of fans, hooting and hollering from teammates, even a mock celebration by Schwarber. And then there was a side conversation in which Painter sought and received feedback from Schwarber about an electric fastball, an emerging cutter, and the unfortunate curveball.

“He’s asking good questions about pitch shapes and what did I see in the at-bat, things like that,” Schwarber said. “I’m really impressed, one, by the pitcher, but also two, the way that he’s handling himself in camp as well. It’s been A-plus.”

As catcher Garrett Stubbs put it, “I honestly didn’t know he’s 19 until you just said that. If that’s worth anything, that’s the opinion I have on how mature he is, what he knows about himself.”

Some of that maturity surely stems from years of being groomed for this very moment. Painter was 14 when his father began taking him to Cressey Sports, where Scherzer rates at the top of a star-studded list of major-league clients. Mets co-ace Justin Verlander works out there, too, albeit too early in the morning for Painter.

“Justin kind of said, ‘What’s up?’ a few times,” Painter said, “but he was there a little earlier than me. He’s an early riser. I talked to Max a little more this year.”

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Painter took note of Scherzer’s “super-intense” bullpen sessions. Unlike most pitchers, who use the time to work on specific pitches or to simply focus on conditioning their arms, Scherzer treats bullpen sessions like a game.

“He’s going through lineups,” Painter said. “He’s like, ‘All right, we’re facing the Braves, [Ozzie] Albies is up.’ The catcher will be like, ‘What do you want me to call?’ Max is all-in. It’s 100% or 0%. He’s not like, ‘All right, I’m just going to cruise through this bullpen.’ He’s locked in.

“Watching a Scherzer bullpen is something else. It’s different. It’s not your normal bullpen, that’s for sure.”

There were other lessons. Scherzer talked to Painter about staying on top of his arm care, not taking shortcuts but also not overextending. Health is as vital to pitching as talent, and Scherzer has been among the healthier pitchers in the sport, averaging 196 innings per full season since 2009.

“Just seeing what he does on an everyday basis, I kind of look at that and how he treats his body,” Painter said. “He’s not overdoing it but making sure he’s prioritizing the right stuff. That’s a hard thing to do. Just seeing the attention to detail, rehab stuff, the arm care, and making sure his body is ready to go and sustain a full year.”

Painter’s education has continued in Phillies camp. In a break from their spring training custom of arranging players’ lockers by their uniform numbers, the Phillies put Painter’s next to Zack Wheeler’s and a few feet from Aaron Nola’s.

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It was intentional. They want him to ask questions of their top two pitchers, who have been happy to take on mentorship roles. Wheeler, in particular, sits with Painter for a few minutes each morning before the daily workouts begin on the back fields.

“They’re great,” Painter said. “They’re honest. They’re teammates. At the end of the day, they’re going to do whatever it takes to help me.”

This winter, the tips even came from one of the Phillies’ chief rivals. And Scherzer can all but bank on seeing Painter put his advice to use.