Oct 15, 2023; Philadelphia, PA, USA; General view during Philadelphia Phillies workouts before the start of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

JT Realmuto Compares Phillies' Top Pitching Prospect to Cy Young-Caliber Ace

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Justin Binkowski | Last updated Feb 19, 2026 8:54 AM ET

Philadelphia Phillies fans are likely sick of hearing about offseason comments from the team's executives or star players. But in this instance, one Phillies veteran offered a breath of fresh air to fans by sharing high praise for the team's top pitching prospect.

All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto recently gave his early spring training outlook on Andrew Painter, Philadelphia's No. 1 prospect in 2025 and MLB Pipeline's No. 28 overall prospect for 2026. Realmuto even compared Painter to Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia's injured ace.

"He looks great," Realmuto said of Painter in a video posted by NBC Philadelphia's John Clark. "I caught his bullpen yesterday and, shoot, I wanna say it was 98, 99. It's just easy. It doesn't look like he's throwing max effort, which, this time of year, you obviously don't want guys doing, and it's still coming out that firm."

Realmuto also added that "when he's right and he's feeling good, he's kinda like Wheeler with his stuff is so elite, but he's still able to throw the ball on the edges." These comments on Painter are likely reassuring for Philadelphia fans, especially given the uncertainty about when Wheeler could return from injury.

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What should Philly fans expect from Andrew Painter in 2026?

As things stand at the beginning of spring training, it seems like Philadelphia will enter opening day with a starting pitching staff featuring Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Taijuan Walker. With Wheeler recovering from his season-ending thoracic outlet decompression surgery last fall, Painter seemingly has the opportunity to earn the fifth spot in the big league club's rotation.

Painter, who turns 23 in April, has been a highly regarded prospect for the Phillies since they drafted him in the first round in 2021. But after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, the 6-foot-7 righty missed two full minor league seasons. He returned last year, though, posting a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts at Triple-A.

A strong performance in spring training should set Painter up to break camp with the big league team. With the timeline for Wheeler's return still unclear at this point, the young flamethrower could play a crucial role in Philadelphia's championship aspirations for 2026.

More MiLB: Yankees Pitching Prospect Blows 102 MPH Fastball by Aaron Judge in Spring Training

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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