By Zach Presnell
Contributing Sports Writer
The Philadelphia Phillies were one of the best teams across MLB this season, but they experienced a monumental collapse in the postseason.
To be nit-picky, the Phillies had holes on their team in the outfield and in the starting rotation. If you really want to be nit-picky, Philadelphia also could have added one more bullpen arm.
Heading into 2025, the Phillies are set to bring all five of their starting pitchers back, but it's tough to say that they really want Taijaun Walker to return. Especially for the $18 million he's owed.
But the answer to the back end of their rotation is staring the front office in the face.
The Phillies have one of the top prospect arms in all of baseball sitting in their farm system: MLB Pipeline's 32nd ranked prospect, right handed pitcher Andrew Painter.
Painter, 21, began experiencing elbow pain at the beginning of the 2023 season. After trying to pitch through a damaged UCL, he would eventually undergo Tommy John surgery late last season.
The 21-year-old is now fully healthy again and his fastball is back up into the high 90s. To go along with that, Painter features two breaking balls and a changeup, all of which are above average offerings. The righty also features superb command, though that's a small question mark as he returns from elbow surgery.
If the Phillies want to replace Walker going into 2025, which they absolutely should, the obvious answer is banging on the door. If Painter can get to Opening Day healthy and strong, there's a good chance we see the 6-foot-7 righty in the Phillies rotation.
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