Pirates' Bubba Chandler Given Bold Prediction for 2026 Season
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Bubba Chandler heads into a crucial season for his development and one that many have high hopes for him.
AJ Mass of ESPN is so confident in Chandler that he has him winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Masshad some belief that Chandler could win it last year, but with his late promotion, that didn't happen. He still sees Chandler having some troubles, but he showed late last year that he could end up as one of the better young pitchers in baseball.
"Quite frankly, I thought Chandler was in good shape to win this award last year, but the Pirates opted not to promote him to the bigs until late August. He ended up winning four times in seven appearances -- one more win than Paul Skenes managed over that same period," Mass wrote
"Is he that good? Probably not and there will be growing pains to be sure but throw away his likely nerve-riddled debut start against the Braves (9 ER, 2⅔ IP) and Chandler's ERA was a very Skenes-ian 1.57."
Why Bubba Chandler Could Win Rookie of the Year Award
Chandler only spent the last month-and-a-half with the Pirates last season, but he showed exactly why many see him as the top right-handed pitching prospect in baseball.
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 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.
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.
If he shows improvement in that area and continues his development throughout 2025, he'll definitely have a shot at following teammate Paul Skenes in winning the prestigious award.
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.
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 opposing batting average 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.