While most of the focus is on major league camp, a little bit of news came out on the minor league side of things.
Drafted as a two-way player, Bubba Chandler will focus on pitching for the 2023 season, and put aside the hitting in the mean time.
News out of #Pirates camp:
Bubba Chandler was told yesterday he’s only pitching in 2023. Didn’t rule out a return to hitting down the line, but this year, he’ll be focused exclusively on the mound.
Single-A stats in ‘22:
.184/.294/.290, 1 HR, 88 PA
4.15 ERA, 33 K, 26 IP— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) February 28, 2023
Chandler showed plenty of potential on the mound last year, and while he showed some power at the plate, really struggled to make contact.
I originally had a feature breakdown planned out for Chandler hitting, but decided to hold it off until the season started to see if he had made any adjustments instead. For now he will look to try and take the next step in his development on the mound.
While it was always a long shot, but a fun story to monitor, this always seemed like this was going to be the end game.
There’s no denying Chandler’s athleticism and versatility, as he also played quarterback in high school.
Last year he scrapped the football side for the first time and played baseball full-time, splitting his time on the mound and as the DH. Now his focus will be even more narrow, looking to refine an arsenal that has a lot of promise.
Bubba Chandler brought the
The added focus should help if he starts the year in Greensboro, which already isn’t the most forgiving place to pitch in the minors.
In the MLB.com article, he did mention there is the chance he looks to hit again, potentially in 2024 or beyond, but if he has the breakout season a lot of people believe he can have, it may not really be necessary for him to do so.
Luis Ortiz Third Pitch Progress
There’s getting exciting about small sample sizes, and then there is getting exciting over three pitches.
That’s where I’m at for Luis Ortiz after his first Spring game. We know what the fastball and slider can do, but being able to drop in a changeup every now and again would be a game changer for the young righty.
Big plus for him recognizing and taking advantage of these games by throwing it on a 3-2 pitch with two outs. Might not see that in the regular season, but he’s using these games for what they are and trying to get the feel how it works in game situations.
Pirates Prospects Daily
By Tim Williams
**Spring Training Recap: Pirates 7, Orioles 4 Pirates won their first game yesterday
**Don’t Count Quinn Priester Out Due to Low Strikeouts Feature on Quinn Priester and his strikeout rate
**Pirates Prospects Daily: Bryan Reynolds Plays Left Field In His Spring Training Debut In case you missed it from yesterday
**Pirates DVR: Ke’Bryan Hayes Home Run, Quinn Priester, Malcom Nunez
Song of the Day
TODAY’S LINEUP
First road game of the Spring. Pirates are still send a lot of guys who will/could make the team
Baseball in Lakeland. pic.twitter.com/kVdzmJQP6f
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 1, 2023
