Phillies hitters get first at-bats against Andrew Painter: ‘He definitely doesn’t look 19′

CLEARWATER, Fla. — At around 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Bailey Falter leaned against the chain-link fence that surrounds Robin Roberts Field.

“I’m here to watch my competition,” the Phillies pitcher said with a laugh.

He wasn’t alone. Dozens of players, team officials, and reporters stood along the dirt, on the grass, in the dugouts, behind the fence, all of them hoping to catch a glimpse of Andrew Painter, the Phillies’ 19-year-old pitching phenom.

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It was a big day for Painter. He was facing big league hitting for the first time this spring, and good big league hitting: Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and John Hicks. His teammates decided to welcome him with some good-natured taunts.

“Is this guy good?” Rhys Hoskins asked sarcastically.

Marsh stepped into the box.

“Leave it over the middle, Paint,” he bellowed at the mound.

Painter did not do that. He briskly struck out Marsh, who was barking at Painter in between swings. Next up was Schwarber, who gave the righty feedback over the course of his at-bat. After a few pitches, Painter threw him his cutter, which he recently added to his arsenal.

“It’s a little slider-ish right now,” Schwarber yelled at Painter.

Painter didn’t want that. He nodded in agreement. He tried to throw it again, and this time it moved slightly away from Painter’s arm side.

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“There you go,” Schwarber said.

In Painter’s first three at-bats, he struck out Marsh, Schwarber, and Hicks. The next round didn’t go as well. He tried to bury a curveball against Schwarber, but it came out of his hand too high. He instantly knew he’d made a mistake.

“Oh boy,” Painter thought to himself.

Sure enough, Schwarber pounced, launching the curveball out of the ballpark to cheers from his teammates.

Schwarber, laughing as he walked out of the box, galloped down the first-base line in celebration, waving his helmet like a lasso.

“One-for-two with a bomb is a bad day,” Painter joked afterward. “I’d say he’s winning right now.”

Manager Rob Thomson, who was standing to the side, looked back to the mound and was relieved to see his young pitcher smiling. It was clear to Thomson that Painter is mature beyond his years. He understood that mistakes would happen — and he wouldn’t let them rattle him.

Hoskins noticed that, too. He was impressed with Painter’s poise. It wasn’t just that he had velocity — catcher Garrett Stubbs estimated Painter was hitting 99 or 100 mph on Wednesday — but that he was able to adjust. If Painter missed high with his fastball, he could come right back and throw it for a strike. If his cutter moved like a slider, he could come right back and throw it like a cutter.

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Marsh, who faced him twice on Wednesday, said Painter reminded him of Zack Wheeler.

“He’s a big donkey up there, you know?” Marsh said of the 6-foot-7 Painter. “He looks like he’s just laying the ball up there at a very, very high speed. He’s got good extension, kind of like a Wheeler type. He’s a long guy, big tall frame. He’s going to be really, really, really good.

“He definitely doesn’t look 19 — or act 19.”

As Stubbs was quick to remind reporters, this was just one live bullpen session on a back field. But Painter has the rare ability to make the mundane exciting. His bullpen sessions are an event. Some reporters even gathered to watch him do long toss.

It’s hard to blame them. We could be witnessing something historic, after all.