Going into his spring debut, Phillies’ Andrew Painter reminds J.T. Realmuto of another phenom

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A few minutes after 1 p.m. Wednesday, some 140 miles from the Carpenter Complex, Andrew Painter will throw his first pitch in a spring-training game.

It will be the moment the Phillies have waited for.

Painter is the story of camp, even drawing owner John Middleton’s attention for his first bullpen session a few weeks ago. The 19-year-old phenom has a serious chance to win a spot in the Phillies’ starting rotation, and it begins with two innings against the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla.

» READ MORE: The education of Phillies phenom Andrew Painter included workouts (and hoops) with Max Scherzer

J.T. Realmuto won’t be there. The star catcher isn’t scheduled to make the trip. But from having caught Painter in the bullpen earlier in the spring, he was reminded of working with late Miami Marlins ace José Fernández, who was 19 when they played together in the minors in 2012.

“There are definitely similarities, stuff-wise, between the two,” Realmuto said. “Painter’s got more pitches than José had. José's three pitches — fastball, slider, changeup — were really good. But [Painter’s] throwing five pitches already that are all plus-pitches.”

Fernández, the 14th overall pick in the 2011 draft, made his major league debut two years later at age 20. He posted a 2.19 ERA in 28 starts for the Marlins, easily winning National League Rookie of the Year and finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting.

An elbow injury led to Tommy John surgery and limited Fernández to eight starts in 2014 and 11 in 2015. He came back in 2016 and posted a 2.86 ERA and 253 strikeouts in 182 1/3 innings before dying in a boat crash in late September at age 24.

The Phillies have sky-high ambitions for Painter, the 13th overall pick in 2021. He could be the first 19-year-old pitcher to break camp with the Phillies since Larry Christenson in 1973. If he starts before his birthday on April 10, he would be their first 19-year-old starter since Mark Davis in 1980 and the first in the majors since the Dodgers’ Julio Urías in 2016.

And make no mistake, Realmuto is buying the hype in the best young pitcher he has played with since Fernández.

» READ MORE: Ace … and mentor? Phillies’ Zack Wheeler will be there for his new locker neighbor Andrew Painter

“I think that he has every bit as much upside as José had at that age, just based on pure stuff,” Realmuto said. “It’s electric. And it’s easy, too. He’s not out there ripping it as hard as he can. It looks easy, and it just flies out of his hand.

“They’re completely different personalities. José was super-loud, kind of obnoxious. I don’t want to say Painter’s not confident, but José was outwardly confident, almost cocky, but in a good way. He was that dude, and he knew it. That’s who Painter is as well, but he’s a little more reserved about it.”

Roger Clemens dropped into Phillies camp and spoke to the team before Tuesday’s pregame workout.

The Rocket had everyone’s attention.

“It’s Roger Clemens. He’s one of the best that’s ever done it,” ace Zack Wheeler said. “That was pretty cool. He told some stories. He’s going to be around the next few days. I’ll try to pick his brain a little bit, have a little talk with him, and just chat.”

Clemens’ son, Kody, is trying to win a spot as a left-handed hitter off the bench after being acquired in a January trade with the Tigers. Manager Rob Thomson was on the Yankees’ coaching staff when Clemens pitched in New York.

Wheeler set down six Blue Jays hitters on 19 pitches in two innings of a 7-2 victory at BayCare Ballpark.

He also unveiled a new pitch.

Wheeler describes it as a “slurve,” a slider/curveball hybrid, and it’s designed to present yet another look to hitters as he enters his ninth major league season at age 32.

“Just something else to throw in,” Wheeler said. “I try to bring something new to the table every year, whether it’s throwing the same pitch in a different location that I haven’t throw it before. This year it’s a new pitch. It’s going to be a different look a little bit this year, but that’s always a good thing.”

» READ MORE: Baseball’s attempt to speed up the game has some Phillies feeling rushed: ‘It’s advantage pitchers’

Left-handed reliever Gregory Soto still hasn’t arrived in camp due to visa-related complications in the Dominican Republic. Soto is scheduled to pitch in the World Baseball Classic but may have to sit out because the Phillies want him in camp first. ... Rule 5 draft pick Noah Song threw a bullpen session. He hasn’t pitched since 2019 because of a service commitment to the U.S. Navy. ... CC Sabathia, another former Yankees ace and Cy Young winner, met with the Phillies in his role as vice chairman of The Players Alliance.