MLB Top Prospect Spotlight: Two impressive outings for Bubba Chandler

The Pittsburgh Pirates have become one of the premier farm systems when it comes to developing starting pitchers, and Bubba Chandler is another name on the list of arms that will make an impact in their rotation in the near future. In two appearances this week, Chandler struck out more batters than any pitcher in Minor League Baseball.

Bubba Chandler's journey through the Pirates' farm system

Last week's prospect spotlight featured Nick Kurtz, a 2024 first-round draft pick that has rocketed through the Athletics minor league system in less than a year. Chandler entered 2025 with the same type of pedigree, but has been developed at a much slower pace.

Chandler was selected back in the 2021 MLB draft as a third rounder out of North Oconee High School in Georgia. He was a two-sport athlete at North Oconee, performing as a standout in both baseball and football. In fact, Chandler was committed to the University of Clemson to play quarterback for the football team before he decided go pro with the Pirates following the 2021 draft with a $3 million signing bonus.

He was also drafted as a two-way player but transitioned to pitching full-time in 2023. With that being said, Chandler is one of the top athletes in all of Minor League Baseball, which has helped immensely in his development into a big league pitcher.

Chandler only threw 41.1 innings over 14 appearances in his first full season in the pros in 2022 while he was still playing both sides of the ball. In each of the last two seasons since, Chandler has logged at least 23 starts and 110 innings.

It's rare nowadays that high-profile pitching prospects are throwing that many innings during their ascent to the majors, but considering it wasn't until 2023 that Chandler was focused on pitching full-time, he definitely needed time to polish as a starter. It's safe to say that time has paid off, as his MLB debut is on the horizon.

An impressive week for Bubba Chandler at Triple-A Indianapolis

The 22-year-old right-handed flamethrower wrapped up his 2024 breakout campaign with a seven start stint at Triple-A Indianapolis. He posted a 1.83 ERA over 39.1 innings at the level last year, which led all Pirates Triple-A arms with at least 30 innings. To open this season, Chandler has seemingly picked right back up where he left off.

The Pirates' number one prospect was able to start two games this week, one on Tuesday and one on Sunday, both against the Louisville Bats (CIN). Chandler is officially in the "ramp up" phase of his development, which is simply preparation time for his big league debut , so don't expect him to toss six or seven innings in a start. As such, he threw just four innings in each outing.

In his start on Tuesday, Chandler struck out eight batters while walking two and allowing just one hit on 61 pitches. On Sunday, he yielded earned runs for the first time this year, allowing two while striking out six batters with no walks and two hits on 52 pitches. His final line for the week was eight innings, two earned runs, three hits, two walks, and 14 strikeouts. That brings his ERA on the season to 1.69 along with a 0.84 WHIP, .118 opponent batting average, and a ridiculous 46.2 K%.

The highlight of Chandler's performance this week was the elite velocity that was on display. He was up to 101.5 mph on his 70-grade fastball on Sunday, which returned a 45.5 whiff%. For reference, the hardest thrown fastball by a starter thus far in 2025 came out of the hand of Hunter Greene — also at 101.5 mph.

On top of the success with the fastball, Chandler is already showing much better feel and command of his breaking and off-speed pitches, which has been the main concern regarding his arsenal as a pitching prospect.

If this past week proved anything, it's that Bubba Chandler is knocking on the door of the big leagues. With Jared Jones and Johan Oviedo both on the 60-day IL, the final spot in the rotation belongs to Chandler as soon as the Pirates feel he is ready.

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