Lowly Pittsburgh Pirates to Call Up No. 1 Pitching Prospect Bubba Chandler

The 22-year-old righty will have a bullpen role initially with the opportunity to earn starts and join a rotation that includes Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes.

Bubba Chandler of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the seventh inning of the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on July 13, 2024. Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

Two years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates called up Paul Skenes from the minors and received immediate dividends, as the former No. 1 overall pick has become, arguably, the best pitcher in baseball. Now, Pittsburgh is hoping to strike gold twice by calling up Bubba Chandler, the top-ranked pitching prospect in the minor leagues and the No. 7 overall prospect.

Per MLB.com, the Pirates plan to select the contract of Chandler on Aug. 22 ahead of a home matchup versus the Colorado Rockies that night. But he isn’t expected to start that game or any other in the immediate future because Pittsburgh plans to use him out of the bullpen initially.

Manager Don Kelly discussed the plans for Chandler, 22, ahead of the team’s Wednesday victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Really excited about bringing Bubba up,“ Kelly said. ”He’s going to be a bulk role just like some of our other guys have, like [Braxton] Ashcraft has. Ashcraft will start the game on Friday and Bubba will be in a bulk role in the pen.”

A pitcher in a bulk role is expected to eat up multiple innings in relief.

“Really excited to add him to the team and he’s going to have an opportunity to earn starts like all of our guys have,” Kelly added.

Ashcraft, a 25-year-old southpaw, was another top Pittsburgh prospect who made his MLB debut in late May. Of his 19 appearances, 16 have come out of the bullpen, which is the role Chandler is expected to assume. Ashcraft has since been promoted to the rotation, and Friday’s start will be his third straight.

If all goes well, Chandler could make some starts by the end of the year, but out of the gate he will be in an unfamiliar position. All 24 of his games with Pittsburgh’s AAA affiliate have been as a starter, and he had middling success. Across exactly 100 innings pitched this season in the minors, Chandler posted a 5-6 record with a 4.05 ERA.

It was his strikeout ability that made him the top pitching prospect in the minors. He struck out 121 batters in those 100 innings. His 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings is the second-best this season among those who have pitched only at the AAA level.

Chandler has spent four seasons in the Pirates’ minor league system since being drafted in the third round out of North Oconee High School in Georgia in 2021. He was originally a two-way prospect, occasionally playing shortstop and being slotted as a designated hitter on his off days. But after hitting .189 over his first two minor league seasons, he gave up the two-way attempt to focus on being a pitcher.

Per his scouting profile, Chandler’s best pitch is his fastball, which can reach 99 mph. His four-pitch arsenal also includes two breaking balls plus a changeup. His command of the strike zone, however, is where he needs the most improvement—his 4.8 walks per nine innings this season is the fourth-most in AAA.

Chandler’s control is undoubtedly a reason he’s beginning in the bullpen, and Kelly talked about allowing him to work on his game in low-pressure situations.

“To have [Bubba] in a situation like that where he can go out to the pen, work on things at the big-league level and be here to learn from the guys up here, learn from the staff and players and get feedback from the major-league game is going to be really important for him and for us,” stated Kelly.

Being with the big league club also allows Chandler to work with Skenes, and as the old saying goes, “iron sharpens iron.” Skenes is the favorite to win the NL Cy Young award and, prior to Ashcraft’s arrival, had been a lone bright spot in another dismal Pirates season. The Pittsburgh pitching staff has been slightly better than league average, with a 4.02 ERA on the season, with the NL average being 4.20.

What hasn’t been league average, however, is Pittsburgh at the plate. Entering play on Wednesday, the Pirates ranked last in all of baseball in runs per game, home runs, extra base hits, slugging percentage, and OPS. Rankings like that are why the team (54-74) is in last place in the NL Central and on pace for its seventh straight season with a losing record.

Pittsburgh hasn’t officially been eliminated from postseason contention yet, but they have a 0.1 percent chance of making the playoffs. This is highly likely to be the 10th straight year the Pirates miss out on the postseason, with their current nine-year drought being the longest active in the National League.