One Pirates Pitcher That Could Breakout in 2026
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the better starting rotations in all of baseball, but if they want to be near the best, they'll need great performances from all five of their pitchers.
One of those pitchers that could break through and have a great season is rookie right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler, who Eno Sarris of The Athletic sees as one of the breakout pitchers of the 2026 season.
Chandler had a strong showing towards the end of his 2025 season, spending the final month-and-a-half with the Pirates, making his MLB debut after pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis prior.
The 23-year old is gearing up for his first full season at the major league level with great excitement over one of the best pitching prospects in baseball.
Why Bubba Chandler Could Breakout in 2026
Chandler has a fantastic arsenal, making for a strong pitch mix that he can improve upon or possibly add another pitch in at some point.
He possesses a great four-seam fastball that averages around 98.9 mph and can reach higher than 100 mph.
Chandler also has two great offspeed pitches in his changeup and slider, which opposing hitters posted a .080 and a .087 slider batting average against, respectively, last season.
His changeup goes around 91.7 mph and his slider isn't far behind at 89.0 mph, with his velocity making the difference on those pitches and their effectiveness.
Pitch | BAA |
|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | .292 |
Changeup | .080 |
Slider | .087 |
Curveball | .500 (Four At-Bats) |
Sarris did wonder how effective Chandler's slider would be, having just a league average whiff rate of 23.1%, but also acknowledged the speed and the fact that hitters couldn't deal with the pitch either.
Chandler will need better command, as he struggled in starts against the top hitting teams, but he showed against weaker opponents that he isn't afraid of throwing his fastball right by them and mixing in the offspeed for strikeouts and ground outs.
His Spring Training outings have shown him struggle with command, giving up walks and putting him in difficult positions, but if he's going to have problems, this is the time to do it.
Chandler's pitches are so tough for hitters, that if he locates them a bit better than he has, he's back to the pitcher he was at the end of the campaign, where opposing batters had no idea how to deal with his pitch mix.
As long as he stays healthy and keeps improving throughout 2026, he should put himself in conversations for 2026 National League Rookie of the Year.
Recap of Bubba Chandler's 2025 Stint With the Pirates
The Pirates eventually called up Chandler from Triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 22, where he spent the rest of the season with.
Chandler excelled in his MLB debut vs. the Colorado Rockies that same day, throwing four scoreless innings of relief in a save in the 9-0 win for the Pirates.
He became the first player in MLB history to throw a scoreless four-inning save in his debut, and the first Pirates pitcher to throw a four-inning save in his debut.
Chandler then threw four more scoreless innings in a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Aug. 27, earning his first MLB win. He became the first Pirates pitcher that earned a save and a win in their first two MLB outings.
He came out of the bullpen again vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on Sept. 2, where he gave up two home runs and three earned runs over four innings, but still earned his second victory in the 9-7 victory.
Chandler made his first MLB start vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on Sept. 7 and had his worst outing of the season, giving up nine earned runs over 2.2 innings in the 10-2 defeat.
He bounced back the rest of the campaign, with just six hits, no walks and two earned runs allowed over his final three starts and 16.2 innings with 19 strikeouts.
Chandler also threw five perfect innings vs. the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sept. 13, before giving up two hits and a run. The Pirates would go on and win that contest, 5-1, giving Chandler a no-decision.
He finished his first stint with the Pirates with a 4-1 record over seven appearances and four stats, a 4.02 ERA over 31.1 innings pitched, 31 strikeouts to four walks, a .214 BAA and a 0.93 WHIP.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.