Andrew Painter healthy and firing despite chilly Clearwater weather originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Phillies will play their earliest ever season opener on March 26 against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Who knows what the weather will be like that day. Chances are it could be a little nippy.
So, the 52-degree temperature and brisk, skin-stinging wind that greeted Andrew Painter and Jesus Luzardo when they faced hitters Monday at Phillies camp wasn’t such a bad thing. Both pitchers hail from the toasty Fort Lauderdale area. Pitching in a little chill is good prep for early spring in Philadelphia.
Especially for Painter, who has never opened a season up north.
“I haven’t thrown in the cold very much,” he said. “It can be a little hard to get a grip because the ball is a little slick so the more reps I get, the better.”
It was kind of neat to see Painter and Luzardo alternate trips to the mound in what was basically a couple of simulated innings on the big field at BayCare Ballpark. They faced a group of hitters that included Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh, the big boys who received a hall pass and didn’t have to make the trip across Florida to play the Washington Nationals later Monday night.
Though they are a few years apart in age – Luzardo is 28; Painter will turn 23 in April – the two pitchers are close. Painter was a pre-teen when his dad took him to watch Luzardo pitch in high school. Later, Luzardo was a young minor-leaguer when he started catching word about this Painter kid.
“Hearing about what he was doing on the travel-ball circuit, everyone knew he was a stud,” Luzardo said of Painter. “Then when I got to see him pitch, it wasn’t hard to see why. He stood out right away.”
Over the last few off-seasons, the two pitchers have become pickleball opponents and workout pals at Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
“I give him a tough time,” Luzardo said. “He likes to sleep in a little bit and I’m in there early.”
The two worked out together six days a week this offseason.
Now, they are rotation mates with the Phillies. Or at least they’re about to be. Painter, after all, has yet to make his big-league debut. Luzardo made 32 starts for the Phils last season. He went 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA. He reached a career-high in innings (183 2/3) and strikeouts (216)
The two pitchers have taken different but similar paths to this place.
Luzardo, a lefty, joined the Phillies in a December 2024 trade with Oakland. Painter was the team’s top draft pick in 2021. He is the team’s most exciting pitching prospect since Cole Hamels.
As far as similarities, Luzardo and Painter are both veterans of Tommy John surgery. Luzardo actually had the procedure performed on him in 2016, when he was still in high school. Painter went under the knife in July 2023.
Painter made it back to full-time action last season, but struggled to find consistency, especially with his control and command. He had a 5.65 ERA and walked 3.9 batters per nine innings in 106 2/3 innings at Triple A Lehigh Valley. His struggles cost him a chance to be promoted to the majors, failing to meet the “July-ish” timetable that team officials had envisioned for his arrival in Philadelphia.
Late last season and this winter, the Phillies’ pitching braintrust dug into Painter’s issues and found that his arm angle was slightly lower than it had been pre-surgery. In wintertime workouts and this spring, Painter has made an adjustment to his previous arm angle. Manager Rob Thomson says he’s seen improved command from the pitcher.
Luzardo has proven to be a good sounding board for Painter. Some of last year’s struggles might simply have been part of the recovery process.
“He’s a guy that got T.J. (surgery) early in his career,” Painter said of Luzardo. “Last year, in spring training he kind of took me under his wing. He told me not to ride the highs and lows (of recovery) too much. He’s one that always told me that the second year back from T.J. is when you’re going to feel your best.”
So, naturally, Painter can’t wait for the regular season to begin. Even if it’s cold up north.
But first, there’s the Grapefruit League portion of the schedule. Other than saying Taijuan Walker will start on Thursday against Washington in Clearwater, Thomson has not yet announced when his starters will pitch. Painter figures to make his spring debut within the next week. After not pitching in the Grapefruit League last year, he’s ready.
“It’s nice to have no limitations,” he said. “Last year, I came to spring training but didn’t throw in games. Being able to come in here and do my things without worrying about pitch counts is nice. I’m looking forward to just going out there and being able to compete.”