Andrew Painter
RHP 6-6 220 Calvary Christian Acamedy (FL)
12. Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christian HS (FL),
6-foot-7, 230 pounds. Long-levered frame with proportional strength throughout. Polished prep arm that’s shown feel for all four pitches. Checks off all the analytical boxes, high-spin rates on everything except for his changeup. Exceptional body control and mechanical efficiency given his size. Has everything you want to see in a high school right-hander; the top prep pitching prospect in the class.
Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christian HS (Fort Lauderdale)
Painter has both an ideal name and an ideal body for pitching, and a strong piece of evidence in favor of nominal determinism. Standing 6’6” with projection remaining despite already tipping the scales at 230 lbs., Painter has unreal feel for pitching for his age, with a pretty delivery and advanced strike throwing ability to go with command of a legitimate four-pitch mix that includes a pair of breaking balls and a developing changeup. He’s been a high level performer against the upper echelons of prep competition, and is very difficult to find holes in at this stage.
If Painter’s fastball velocity tracks into the mid-90s as expected, he could be a truly scary matchup at the highest level, and he carries a top of the rotation ceiling and further possible rotation outcomes. It’s hard to believe that such an effortless delivery produces low-90s heat already, and it’s hard to imagine his fastball won’t be solidly plus in time. Combine that with his deep arsenal and advanced strike throwing ability, and you have a special package.
Prep arms have gotten a bit less popular at the very top of the draft in recent years with clubs seemingly shying away from the risk a bit at the highest-dollar selections. Even so, a profile like Painter’s should still safely find a home in the top-20 selections if not higher.
Andrew Painter – RHP: The 1st pitcher on the list. The Right-Hander stands 6’7 with easy and repeatable mechanics, command of a 4 pitch mix all grading Above-Average or better. Led by a future Plus-Plus Fastball that sits 93-95 T97, 2300-2500 RPM, that he can command to both sides of the plate. Features 2 Breaking balls that each show Above-Average spin rates that he can use vs either LHH or RHH that get a high amount of swing and miss and a Change up that flashes Plus at its best and works so well off the Fastball. Hard to see a Prep pitcher surpassing Painter anytime soon.
12) Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christian Academy (FL)
Painter is probably the most impressive prep arm in the class, with the potential for three above-average to plus offerings. Painter’s physicality is what immediately jumps out. He is all of 6’6 and his lean frame is still projectable. It is easy to envision him growing into a huge, intimidating presence on the mound. For a kid his age who is that big, his body control and athleticism are both fantastic. He control his long limbs extremely well, and it is easy to see his athleticism when he is on the mound. Right now, Painter’s fastball sits in the mid-nineties with impressive vertical life in the zone. He misses a lot of bats with the pitch and does a good job of executing it up and down and to both sides of the plate. The pitch data on the fastball is something that would be desirable to analytical scouting departments. His vertical approach angle is quite steep because of his release height, but his ability to generate solid spin rates and some vertical movement on his fastball to make up for that is impressive. Painter’s slider is his best secondary with double-plus potential. The slider is sharp, with heavy transverse spin that creates good sweep. He generates a lot of whiffs with the pitch and locates it well for the most part, but he has a tendency to miss with the pitch to his arm side. Painter’s curveball is a vertically-oriented pitch with big depth and sharp break that generates uncomfortable swings. He prefers the slider to the curve, but from his vertical arm slot with such a high release height, the curve has the potential to be more than just a pitch he throws for strikes to keep hitters off-balanced. Painter also throws a changeup but very infrequently. It sits in the low eighties; he is more of a breaking ball dominant pitcher. Mechanically, he generates solid hip/torso separation and scapular range of motion. He loves to vary his timings to the plate, with an extended pause at the top of his leg kick or even a quick pitch every now and then. This just demonstrates his unreal body control for someone his size. Overall Painter has middle-of-the rotation potential with more safety than the average prep arm, and he has a strong case to be the first high school pitcher taken this year. Painter is committed to Florida.
14. Andrew Painter, RHP, Cavalry Christian Academy (Florida)
My guess is Andrew Painter will be ranked in the top 5-to-10 range by the draft next year. A bit of a pop-up prospect (although most prep prospects will be pop-ups due to not playing in 2020), Painter already has the makings of a plus changeup and slider. His fastball doesn’t show elite velocity yet (sits 91) but his age and frame (6’6, 210) indicate that more velocity could easily come. If it happens to come in 2021, he will shoot up draft boards. Painter has already shown he’s ready to move on past high school, allowing just nine earned runs in his sophomore and junior seasons combined. While 2021’s prep pitching pool isn’t as deep as it’s hitting pool, Painter could wind up the consensus top high school arm with natural progression.
Andrew Painter: The number one question with Painter going into the day was whether or not he could keep his fastball velocity in the 94-96 range, and he did just that, topping out at just over 97mph. Painter spotted up the fastball extremely well on the day, as he has over the course of the past year. The offspeed pitches were not biting however, which created problems for Painter. He gave up a knock to Jordan Lawlar on what was a very good piece of hitting, and hung a curveball to McGuire, resulting in another hit. All in all his stuff wasn't at its best on the day, though the fastball velocity helped reaffirm the type of prospect that he is- he should be on pace to go mid first round next year.
Painter a first round target for the Mets? Very impressive, even if young. Sounds like he could be in the majors in 2022, despite his age, if his velo kicks up a few ticks to consistent 93-95.
ReplyDeleteHe is my number one pick.
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