Despite winning the pennant in decisive fashion, Philadelphia’s excellence feels a little lost in the sauce of national writers belly-aching about the expanded playoff format. Reality is this Phillies’ lineup is as deep as anybody’s, their front-rotation arms are as dominant as anybody’s, and their bullpen can close out any offense. Despite their misleading regular season win total, they make a much better match for these juggernaut Astros than the 2022 Yankees. 

Philadelphia has also made gains on the farm, where the team features a few starting pitchers on the cusp for 2023. I was in the comments of my last article talking about how this system would make the Mets and Marlins look better by comparison, but I’m chewing on those words a bit today. It’s true that the young Phillies aren’t deep, and we won’t see impact offensive talents graduate anytime soon, but Andrew Painter pretty much makes up for that, especially considering the club’s positional depth at the major league level. 

Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2023 | Highest Level Played | Expected Time of Arrival

1. RHP Andrew Painter | 19 | AA | 2023

If I have to pick one minor league arm to become a no-doubt fantasy ace, I’m asking Sherwin Williams because it’s between Painter, Grayson Rodriguez and Eury Perez, and Painter is my preferred option at the moment. In 103 innings across three levels, Painter posted a 0.88 WHIP and 155 strikeouts and 25 walks, culminating in a successful month in Double-A where he struck out 37 batters and walked two across 28.1 innings. Philadelphia’s Double-A setting in Reading has battered a number of young pitchers in the past, so it’s especially exciting to see the 6’7” 215 lb Painter smother hitters who are 5.5 years his senior, on average. With a double-plus fastball, slider and curve, Painter hasn’t needed the changeup much but has shown an aptitude to command all four offerings. Probably could’ve helped the club in this postseason run–not that they’ve needed it so far.