Painter's highly anticipated spring debut has familiar feel for Phils

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CLEARWATER, Fla. -- A highly touted Phillies pitching prospect will face the Yankees in his Grapefruit League debut.

It’s a matchup that should sound familiar to longtime Phillies fans.

Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter is the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 28 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He will start Sunday afternoon against New York at BayCare Ballpark, bringing back memories of Cole Hamels’ Grapefruit League debut against the Yankees on March 5, 2004, at Legends Field in Tampa.

Hamels was only 20 years old then. He was MLB.com’s No. 6 prospect, behind Joe Mauer, B.J. Upton, Greg Miller, Zack Greinke and Edwin Jackson. He pitched two scoreless innings, but his first inning of work is what everybody remembers. He struck out Derek Jeter swinging on a 1-2 changeup, Alex Rodriguez looking on a 1-2 changeup and Tony Clark swinging on a 2-2 changeup.

“He was pretty impressive,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t have a gun, but it looked like he was throwing [his fastball] 92-94 [mph]. And he had an impressive changeup.”

But was it a big league changeup?

“It looked like one,” Jeter said.

That was Hamels’ first career Grapefruit League appearance. This will be Painter’s second. He pitched two innings against the Twins in Fort Myers on March 1, 2023.

“I believe this kid’s going to be a star,” Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said then.

Painter didn’t pitch again that year. He sustained an injured right elbow that later required Tommy John surgery.

It’s been a long road back.

So, yeah, Painter said earlier this week that he was looking forward to his first start.

“A little bit,” he said. “But I just try to treat it like another day, another start. I feel like the days I am too amped up, that’s where stuff might get a little too quick. I might start missing glove-side. I think everything gets out of sync. I think the more in rhythm I can be and not trying to do too much, I think the body moves best and that’s where the command is really at its best.”

Nobody knows who the Yankees will send across the Courtney Campbell Causeway on Sunday. But it is a short enough drive to think at least a couple of the big fellas -- Aaron Judge will be with Team USA for the World Baseball Classic -- might make the trip.

Either way, get your spot on the berm early.