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Pirates Prospects Daily: The Complicated Development Path Of Bubba Chandler

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Entering the 2022 season, how the Pirates were going to handle Bubba Chandler was one of the more interesting headlines. Drafted as a two-way player, the team was planning on letting their third round pick from 2021 try his hand at both hitting and pitching in the minors.

They finally worked him into a routine that saw him take off for two days around any time he’d pitch, and then DH the rest.

Hitters in the Florida Complex League, his first stop in pro ball, proved no match for Chandler the pitcher, blowing them away with a fastball he could touch the upper 90s with. In 15.1 FCL innings, Chandler didn’t allow a run, with just three hits and he struck out nearly half of the batters he faced (45.8 K%). 

He was moved up to Bradenton, where he met a lot more challenges than the FCL presented. In 26 innings in Single-A, Chandler posted a 4.15 ERA, and held opponents to a .213 average. Obviously his strikeout wasn’t going to be maintainable, but it still remained a very good 28.9% with Bradenton.

Anthony Murphy
Anthony Murphy
Anthony began writing over 10 years ago, starting a personal blog to cover the 2011 MLB draft, where the Pirates selected first overall. After bouncing around many websites covering hockey, he refocused his attention to baseball, his first love when it comes to sports. He eventually found himself here at Pirates Prospects in late 2021, where he covers the team’s four full season minor league affiliates.

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