The Pittsburgh Pirates are about to introduce their next pitching phenom in the making, with reports suggesting the MLB franchise are hoping for another Paul Skenes rise to prominence.
Bubba Chandler, the club’s top pitching prospect and one of MLB Pipeline’s highest-ranked arms, is officially slated for a long-awaited debut in the Majors against the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park on Friday, August 22, 2025.
Chandler’s path to the big leagues has been deliberate. After being selected in the third round of the 2021 draft out of North Oconee High School (he nearly chose Clemson to play both baseball and football), he focused solely on pitching.
Since then, he has quickly climbed through the minors. Across 372 innings, he’s tallied 457 strikeouts, a testament to his explosive arsenal and athletic versatility.
A prospect with a fine arm
At Triple-A Indianapolis this season, Chandler registered a 5-6 record with a 4.05 ERA over 100 innings, striking out 121 batters. His fastball jets in at nearly 98mph, complemented by a sharp slider and the potential to grow into a four-pitch mix.
Early in the season, his dominance was clear: in his first 11 starts, he held a 2.03 ERA with a sparkling 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a .181 opponent batting average.
But the summer stretch wasn’t kind. Chandler’s performance slipped, with a rough three-start August that saw him surrender 10 runs in 12 innings and post a 7.50 ERA.
Despite the downturn, Pirates brass remains confident that exposure to major league hitters now can drive his growth and temperament-especially since he thrives when allowed to be free and athletic on the mound.
Manager Don Kelly intends to ease Chandler into the rotation via a bullpen role – a strategy that mirrors the development of fellow Pittsburgh arms like Braxton Ashcraft and current stars like Paul Skenes and Jared Jones.
Pirates temper expectations for Chandler
While Chandler is viewed as a future starter, beginning from the pen should allow him to adjust to big-league competition gradually while soaking up insights from veterans and coaching staff.
Chandler’s promotion solidifies a promising future rotation for the Pirates. With Skenes presumably pacing the staff and Ashcraft showing effectiveness already, Chandler adds depth and arm talent to a rotation that could become one of baseball’s most intriguing ensembles in 2026.
For now, Chandler’s debut-albeit delayed-marks the arrival of an arm whose ceiling remains sky-high. He may not explode onto the scene as a starter right out of the gate.
But the Pirates are betting that this slow build will forge his resilience and polish his future as a frontline ace.
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