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Pittsburgh Pirates Promote Top Pitching Prospect Bubba Chandler to Double-A

Bubba Chandler will reportedly make his final start of 2023 with Double-A Altoona on Friday after surging through the Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system.
Sam Connon|
Pittsburgh Pirates Promote Top Pitching Prospect Bubba Chandler to Double-A
Pittsburgh Pirates Promote Top Pitching Prospect Bubba Chandler to Double-A

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Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates promoted pitching prospect Bubba Chandler to Double-A Altoona on Wednesday, according to the minor league club's official transaction log.

Per MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, Chandler will make his final start of the season Friday versus Harrisburg. Chandler is the No. 5 pitcher and No. 7 overall prospect in the Pirates' farm system, according to MLB Pipeline.

Chandler, who is set to turn 21 years old next week, has spent the entire 2023 season up to this point with High-A Greensboro. The right-hander is 9-4 with a 4.75 ERA and 1.500 WHIP on the year, but he is 6-1 with a 1.85 ERA and 0.893 WHIP over his last eight starts.

The Pirates selected Chandler in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, although he notably didn't take the mound until 2022. Instead, Chandler played shortstop in his debut campaign before becoming a two-way player by tossing 41.1 innings and racking up 124 plate appearances the following year.

Management told Chandler he would be used exclusively as a pitcher this season, though, and that figures to remain the case moving forward. In his minor league career, Chandler is a .189 hitter with a .693 OPS.

MLB.com has Chandler's tools graded at 60 fastball, 55 curveball, 55 slider, 50 changeup, 50 control and 50 overall.

Twelve of the Pirates' top 15 prospects are pitchers, with reigning No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes standing out as the highest-ranked of the bunch. Skenes is the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, while Jared Jones comes in at No. 70, Anthony Solometo is slotted at No. 85 and Quinn Priester is ranked at No. 93.

Chandler, meanwhile, is on the outside looking into the Top 100 for the time being, but that can all change with a breakout performance in his Double-A debut Friday.

First pitch between Altoona and Harrisburg that night is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. 

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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