Newest first round draft pick Andrew Painter had committed to the University of Miami to play baseball. But the word on the street was that he could be easily swayed. In fact, on his own Twitter account, he seemed to be tracking what others were saying about him ahead of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft. He drew high praise from Baseball America.
Painter retweeted this scouting report back in November:
"The industry sees him as a no-doubt top of the first round talent."@GatorsBB commit Andrew Painter has separated himself from the rest of the prep arms.
New high school rankings 👇 https://t.co/P8etMfS4lz pic.twitter.com/ASB2jt93UN
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) September 14, 2020
Yes, he was compared to that Mick Abel.
Abel is currently listed as the top Phillies prospect on most prospect publications and is featured among the top 100 prospects in baseball, including number 59 on the MLB Pipeline Top 100. Abel is also a tall, hard-throwing right handed pitcher. It seems clear the Phillies have hopes of building a top rotation from the ground up with their successive picks.
The Phillies picked 15th in the 2020 draft and 13th in 2021. At this level, there is a good amount of projection on the picks. At the top of the draft go the "no doubt about it" types. Jack Leiter of the famous Toms River, New Jersey family that produced his father, Al Leiter, uncle Mark Leiter, and cousin Mark Leiter, Jr., went second overall and at 21 years old is much more polished. It will be a slower organizational climb for Abel and Painter, but they believe the talent is there.
The MLB Draft continues Monday with rounds two through 10.
