Pirates' Top Pitching Prospect Racks Up Strikeouts in Best Start of Spring

He's heating up just in time for the regular season

Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A hat and glove belonging to Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo (not pictured) on the field against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

A lot of eyes have been on the Pittsburgh Pirates' highly touted shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin this spring. But one of the organization's other up-and-coming talents stood out in the team's latest spring training game.

Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh's No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 11 overall prospect for 2026, pitched his best game of the spring so far in the Pirates' 5-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. The 23-year-old threw five innings and only surrendered one hit and one run, while walking one and striking out eight. That lone hit and run came off the bat of Atlanta's Jair Camargo, who didn't miss a 0-2 slider that caught a little too much of the plate and drove it 391 feet to left field for a home run.

Outside of that solo shot, though, Chandler was almost spotless in this outing. The 6-foot-3 righty regularly showcased his high-octane fastball en route to his highest strikeout total of the spring. While he now has a 6.55 ERA in spring training, the young flamethrower has only given up two runs and two hits over his last eight innings, including Thursday's start against the Braves.

Bubba Chandler looks to carve out his own role in Pittsburgh's exciting young core

Mar 12, 2026; Bradenton, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bubba Chandler (36) during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at LECOM Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Regardless of his spring training numbers, Chandler is gearing up for what's expected to be his first full season in the majors. The 23-year-old got a taste of major league action last year, appearing in seven games for the Pirates and posting a 4.02 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 31 innings. He also made 24 starts at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2025, producing a 4.05 ERA and 121 strikeouts over 100 innings pitched.

Those 131 combined innings last year represent the most Chandler has pitched so far in his professional career, so it remains to be seen if the Pirates will monitor his workload in 2026. Nonetheless, the young righty is expected to be a big part of Pittsburgh's present and future as a formidable arm atop the rotation alongside reigning Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. And with Griffin possibly on his way to the bigs soon as well, the Pirates might have enough promising talent to be a dark-horse playoff contender this year.