Pirates' Bubba Chandler Placed in Exclusive Group
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Bubba Chandler has a bright future ahead of him and is gearing up for a big 2026 season.
Pirates fans finally got to see Chandler make his mark at the major league level in 2025, spending the final month-and-a-half with the team.
Chandler joined the Pirates in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft and four years of hard work has finally got him to the highest level of baseball.
The 23-year old now finds himself amongst the best prospects in baseball and with his first full campaign ahead of him.
Bubba Chandler Placed Amongst Unique Group
Ben Weinrib of MLB.com made a list of the best prospects in baseball by each age from 16 to 25 years old.
Weinrib named Chandler as the second best 23-year old prospect in baseball, only behind St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt. MLB Pipeline ranks Chandler as the 14th best prospect and Wetherholt as the fifth best prospect.
Chandler isn't the only Pirates prospect that made the list, as Weinrib named shortstop Konnor Griffin as the best 19-year old in baseball.
MLB Pipeline, along with other publications, has Griffin as the best overall prospect in baseball, so his placement isn't too surprising.
The prospects Weibrib listed that were younger than Chandler and Griffin included all shortstops in Venezuelan international free agent in Luis Hernandez at 16 years old, 2025 first overall pick in Washington Nationals' Eli Willits at 17 years old and Milwaukee Brewers' Jesús Made at 18 years old.
Shortstops in UCLA Roch Cholowsky came in at the top prospect at 20 years old and Detroit Tigers' Kevin McGonigle at 21 years old, Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Trey Yesavage at 22 years old and then both New York Mets right-handed pitchers in Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat at 24 years old and 25 years old, respectively.
What Makes Bubba Chandler So Effective
Chandler only spent the last month-and-a-half with the Pirates, but still showed why he has what it takes at the highest level of 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 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.
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.
Pitch | BAA |
|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | .292 |
Changeup | .080 |
Slider | .087 |
Curveball | .500 (Four At-Bats) |
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 presitigous 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.
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 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.