Painter, Phillies prospects take center stage in AFL doubleheader

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Andrew Painter is just 13 innings into his “official” return to the competitive mound, but the Phillies right-hander has set the bar so high that another three no-hit innings don’t jump off the page. And an argument could be made that he didn't have the most impressive Phillies pitching performance of the day.

Sometimes more can be taken from an outing when a starter, even a future frontline one like Painter, isn’t firing on all cylinders, and he has to really pitch. The tale may not be told in the Arizona Fall League box score from Glendale's 6-0 victory over Scottsdale in the back end of a doubleheader that was scheduled when Sunday’s game between these two teams was suspended by rain: 3 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K. But MLB's No. 32 overall prospect would be the first to admit he struggled with command of his fastball throughout his 39-pitch outing.

“Obviously not where I want it to be with it, but it’s all part of it,” Painter said. “I had to make up for it. I relied on the curveball a little bit to do that. At the end of the day, I got it done.”

He used that low-80s curve for his two strikeouts, getting Josue Briceño (DET No. 9) to end the first and Drew Cavanaugh (Giants) to start his third and final inning, both swinging. The Phillies' No. 2 prospect also showed an effective slider and changeup as he continues to march toward his Fall League goal of 20 innings to give him a springboard into 2025.

“Any time the fastball isn’t working, you have to lean on that stuff and to be able to have a pitch I can get in the zone,” Painter said. “Obviously, with the heater, the big thing is getting ahead. I fell behind early, threw a lot of balls. I relied on the offspeed stuff to get me ahead, and get 0-2, 1-2, to give me the chance to expand with the fastball and gain that confidence.”

Fellow Tommy John surgery returnee, Christian McGowan may not have the same pedigree, but the organization’s No. 22 prospect has pretty good stuff and it was on display in the first game of the doubleheader. The 24-year-old also did something fairly uncommon in the Fall League, going five frames, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out four in Glendale’s 5-3 win.

“It was good,” McGowan said. “Five innings is a lot, but at the same time, it’s not. Just being competitive in the strike zone, balls go to outs. As long as you’re competitive, it goes your way.”

It hasn’t often gone McGowan’s way health-wise. He needed TJ surgery after just two starts in his first full season in 2022, came back at the end of 2023 and pitched here in the AFL last year. A back issue in 2024 kept him from building off that too much, missing two months and throwing just 40 1/3 innings during the regular season, leading to a return engagement.

“It’s a lot of adversity but also, if you have faith in the Lord and trust that this is the process,” McGowan said. “It’s going to come through at the end. Whatever happens is going to happen for a reason.”

McGowan was backed offensively by Otto Kemp, who has been swinging the bat well all fall. With the bases loaded and no one out in the sixth inning, the Phillies' No. 28 prospect took a 2-2 pitch deep to left-center for his sixth home run of the season and it turned a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 lead for Glendale.

“Bases loaded, no outs, I know the pressure’s on him,” said Kemp, who leads the circuit with 22 RBIs and is tied for second in home runs. “Just trying to look for a pitch in a specific spot and trust the instincts and just go at it.”

Kemp has used the campaign to continue to refine his approach, make better swing decisions and cut his chase rate after a regular season in which he hit 16 homers and stole 20 bases while reaching Triple-A. He’s had inspiration in the form of a former Phillie who excelled here a year ago as another under-the-radar, slightly older utilityman with a big bat: Oliver Dunn, who parlayed his strong AFL into being acquired by the Brewers and added to their 40-man roster. He went on to make Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster, though injury forced him off the field for most of the season.

“Seeing Dunny and what he did last year, regular season to the Fall League, it’s one of those stories you see, it catches your eye and you’re like, ‘If he can do it, somebody else can,’" Kemp said. “It sort of sets the tone for what’s possible. He’s definitely at the front of my mind when it comes to the Fall League and his opportunity because of what he did all of last year. Seeing what can be put together after a strong year like that, I’m definitely trying to follow in those footsteps.”

The mutual admiration isn’t reserved for former Phillies Fall Leaguers. McGowan spent more time than either would have liked with Painter rehabbing, so watching baseball's fifth-ranked RHP prospect do his thing now has been really special.

“It goes into seeing what he’s doing now, after Tommy John,” McGowan said. “Tommy John is not something to joke about. You have to come back and also learn that your arm is OK and get over that hump. Him doing that and shoving down here, it’s been good to see.”

Kemp had never watched Painter pitch before joining him on the Desert Dogs, but has so much respect for the resolve needed to make the long climb back and he’s thoroughly enjoying his front-row seat for his outings.

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“Just going into the complex, honestly, the last two years and seeing him grinding that out, never had a bad attitude,” Kemp said. “Every time you see him, he’s in good spirits. It’s cool to see him turn it on and see him back in action. But most of all, the kind of dude he is, to see the reward of all his hard work over the last two years of his rehab. It’s cool to see him in action and hopefully we’ll see him in Philly soon.”

For Painter, the feeling is mutual.

“I think this org has come a long way and having guys like that, I think we’ve had a pretty good showing out here,” he said. “Especially McGowan, another TJ guy. Seeing him out there and being able to lean on him throughout this process and know what’s normal, what’s not.”