Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report: Bubba Chandler
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Bubba Chandler made his 2025 minor league debut with electric velocity but erratic command, flashing both promise and rawness. With the Pirates potentially needing rotation help soon, Chandler is a name to monitor closely in deeper fantasy formats.
Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates gave Chandler his first minor-league start on Thursday, leading to no runs, one hit, three walks, and four strikeouts over 2.2 innings. He battled his command (46.2% strike rate) while offering an upper 90s fastball. His right arm didn’t look major-league-ready in his three spring training appearances (five runs, seven baserunners, and two strikeouts over 2.1 innings).
Bubba Chandler's 4 K's for the @indyindians:
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 3, 2025
97.0 mph fastball
98.6 mph fastball
97.4 mph fastball
83.6 mph slider
Watch the @Pirates' Triple-A club LIVE: https://t.co/lX9hi2VegR pic.twitter.com/LujBbv0QMi
During the 2024 campaign, Chandler delivered an impressive 119.2 innings of work, compiling a stellar 3.08 ERA with underlying metrics that reinforced the legitimacy of his performance. Demonstrating elite swing-and-miss potential, he fanned more than 30% of opposing hitters while limiting free passes to a modest 8.6% clip. Perhaps the most significant stride in his development was his refined command, evidenced by a 65% strike rate and improved ability to both induce whiffs and freeze hitters with precision placement. This enhanced strike efficiency highlights a maturing pitcher with the tools to thrive at higher levels.
With Thomas Harrington getting bombed in his first start with Pittsburgh (six runs, 11 base runners, and one home run over four innings with two strikeouts), Chandler is the likely replacement if Harrington's arm doesn’t progress. For now, Chandler falls in the watch column with a lot to prove with his ability to throw strikes against advanced batters.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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