Pirates Top 30 Prospects No. 1: When Will Bubba Chandler Debut?

This is one in a series of stories breaking down PBN’s Top 30 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects.

Rounding out the list is right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler, who might just end up being the crown jewel of a draft class that saw the Pirates hold the first overall pick.

Pittsburgh picked Chandler out of high school in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, luring him away from his commitment to the Clemson Tigers with a $3 million signing bonus, significantly over the slot value of a Day 2 pick. Chandler created plenty of buzz early on for his potential as a two-way star—a slam dunk headline in the era of Shohei Ohtani—but the Pirates made him commit to pitching full time following his first professional season. It took Chandler time to adjust to the switch, the decision from higher up making his performance on the mound suffer and leaving him “pissed off at pretty much everyone” as he told Pittsburgh Baseball Now in a 2023 exclusive article.

Eventually he came to terms with the choice, recognizing it as the right decision. This past season he made it all the way to Triple-A, posting a 1.83 ERA with 54 strikeouts across 39.1 innings to end the year against the best the minor leagues can offer. He’s tantalizingly close to his Major League debut and a candidate to make the team out of Spring Training like Jared Jones did last year.

What cues Chandler’s success? A fastball that flirts with triple digits, for one, along with a wipeout slider. He also works in a curveball and a changeup that are average at best, and his ability to dominate competition even as a just-turned 22-year-old work in progress himself makes him a consensus pick for the top spot in the Pirates’ system.