A leaner Andrew Painter is moving better than ever. One reason is ‘fewer trips to the Dairy Queen’
As he worked toward breaking into the Phillies rotation, Painter cut down on "sweet treats" to help him get back to his ideal weight. He's noticing the difference this spring.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Andrew Painter likes to eat. It has never been much of an issue. The Phillies’ top prospect has a fast metabolism and stands at 6-feet-7.
If anything, it is hard for him to add weight. So, the occasional — or frequent — ice cream cone doesn’t hurt. But this offseason, while training at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida, the lanky pitcher noticed something.
It was early November, and Painter was reviewing video of his 2025 triple-A season with coach Spencer Stockton. He hadn’t felt a difference on the mound, but could see one on the screen.
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The prospect had put on some extra pounds — topping out at 240 at one point — and was moving slower. He’d get fatigued by the fourth or fifth inning.
His delivery was impacted, too. Instead of driving off the mound, Painter was “falling” off it.
Stockton and Painter looked back at his delivery in 2022, before he got Tommy John elbow surgery. It was quicker and more up-tempo.
They decided they’d try to get back to that. The coach and the pitcher made some slight changes to Painter’s offseason program, adding more “movement days” of sprints and agility work.
They also made some tweaks to his diet. Painter’s weight in 2022 was 225 pounds.
To get back to that number, he’d have to make some sacrifices.
“Fewer trips to the Dairy Queen,” he said with a laugh.
This would be a challenge. Painter’s house in Pompano Beach, Fla., was a block away from the fast-food restaurant. It was easy — perhaps too easy — to order an Oreo blizzard or milkshake.
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His teammate and longtime friend, Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo, described Painter’s eating habits as “notorious.” Former Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Vic Díaz recalled that he had a “big sweet tooth.”
“I’m almost positive he would go to Publix and just pick up a pie,” Díaz said.
But nevertheless, Painter got it done. He now stands at 225 pounds, his “ideal weight.” His leaner physique is part of the reason he’s been so dominant this spring, as he prepares for a starting job on the big league club.
“All offseason he’s looked great,” said Luzardo. “He looks strong, he looks athletic, the way he’s pitching, moving down the mound. His body is moving cleaner, is the way I would describe it.”
‘Sorry, I ate a whole pumpkin pie’
Painter has never been shy about his proclivity for dessert. In September of 2021, months after he was drafted in the first round, he was sitting alongside Díaz at the Bobby Mattick Complex in Dunedin, Fla.
The highly-touted prospect was minutes away from his final start of the year, against the FCL Blue Jays. But there was one problem.
His stomach hurt.
Díaz asked what was wrong.
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“He just looked at me and said, ‘Sorry, I ate a whole pumpkin pie last night,’” Díaz said.
Painter ended up having his best FCL outing to date. He pitched two innings, struck out five, and allowed just one hit.
But Díaz wasn’t about to let him off the hook.
“He called me out at the end of the [pitchers] meeting,” Painter said. “We were wrapping up and he says my name. And I’m like, ‘What did I do?’
“And he’s like, ‘Just wanted to let you all know, Painter ate a whole pumpkin pie.’”
The minor league coordinator started regularly asking the prospect what he’d eaten the night before. And Painter was happy to divulge.
Even as a teenager, he was unapologetically himself. Painter would shag fly balls left-handed in the outfield during batting practice. He relished Beach Dog Fridays at single-A Clearwater, picking out his favorite mutts in the crowd.
So, it was no surprise to Díaz that Painter also had a light-hearted approach to his diet.
“In Clearwater, he and Alex Garbrick had a thing where they would go to BJ’s Restaurant once a week,” Díaz recalled. “When it was 2-for-1 Pizookies.”
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(For those unfamiliar, a Pizookie is a cookie skillet with ice cream on top).
Luzardo, who also has a sweet tooth, was not familiar with the pumpkin-pie fiasco or the weekly Pizookies. But he was aware that his friend liked to eat.
“I didn’t know about that,” Luzardo said. “But I saw him do a — he did do a hot dog eating contest here last year.”
Of course, there is a balance to all of this. While Painter doesn’t want to reach 240 pounds again, he also doesn’t want to dip below 220, which was where he was in 2023, before he got Tommy John.
“It’s trying to find that middle spot of where I’m light, but I’m not injured, too,” he said. “Because you get to a certain point where you’re too skinny, and there’s not enough fat in your body to stay healthy.
“And everyone always says, ‘You can’t tear fat.’ So, it’s trying to find that middle point.”
Around 225 seems to be it. Painter feels great. He isn’t as sluggish as he was last year. He’s fluid and agile.
Coupled with a higher arm slot, and a lengthier long toss routine, it’s just another reason why he’s looked — and felt — so good this spring.
And as long as he isn’t anywhere near a pumpkin patch come October, it should stay that way.
“I’d say, probably less sweet treats,” he said.