Bubba Chandler is on observe to affix Paul Skenes and Jared Jones within the energy division of the Pittsburgh Pirates beginning rotation. Outfitted with an elite upper-90s fastball and a strong array of secondary choices, the 22-year-old right-hander has emerged as one in every of baseball’s highest-ceiling pitching prospects. As Eric Longenhagen notes in our forthcoming Prime 100, Chandler, who was a two-sport, two-way participant as an newbie and started focusing solely on pitching in 2023, remains to be creating, however “to this point, [it’s] going in addition to might have been hoped when he was drafted, and he’s monitoring like a mid-rotation starter.”
His 2024 season provided ample proof of his means to overpower hitters. In 119 2/3 innings between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, Chandler fanned 148 batters whereas surrendering simply 81 hits. Together with a 30.9% strikeout charge and a .187 batting-average-against, he logged a 3.08 ERA and a 3.10 FIP. Furthermore, he displayed improved command. The 2021 third-round draft pick of Bogart, Georgia’s North Oconee Excessive Faculty lowered his stroll charge from 10.5% in 2023 to a stingier 8.6% final season.
Chandler mentioned his developmental strides, and the bat-missing arsenal he takes with him to the mound, earlier this month.
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David Laurila: What have you ever realized about pitching since attending to professional ball?
Bubba Chandler: “The primary factor has been command. You’ll be able to have nice stuff, however I’ve observed that the extra I’ve gone up [minor league levels], the much less guys swing at crappy pitches. In Low-A, you may throw a slider approach out of the zone, and a variety of instances you’re going to get a swing. In case you throw a slider approach out of the zone in Triple-A, particularly in case you didn’t set that pitch up, you’re not even going to get a lean over, or a budge, on it.
“Studying the best way to set pitches up has been a giant factor for me. Setting them up, tunneling, and simply how pitches transfer… however actually, the command half is absolutely what has helped make me higher.”
Laurila: Do you’re feeling you might have an excellent understanding of your pitches by way of what sort of motion, and wherein zones, is handiest?
Chandler: “Oh, undoubtedly. Any time I’m conserving my changeup backside shelf, it’s not going to get hit. Type of the identical factor with my slider. And my slider truly will get hit extra when it’s down-and-away to a righty, relatively than simply down the center and low. When my heater is high shelf, it hardly ever will get put in play. It’s when my fastball is center, or stays low, that it will get hit somewhat bit.”
Laurila: Are you able to elaborate in your slider? You stated that it will get hit extra when it’s down-and-away?
Chandler: “So, at any time when my slider is low-and-away, it will get touched — it will get somewhat extra hit — as a result of it’s not likely staying via. It’s extra simply spinning, as an alternative of simply happening. When it’s middle-down, I’ve stayed via that pitch and it has extra depth, so guys are swinging excessive of it.”
Laurila: Your repertoire is a four-seamer, a slider, and a changeup, right?
Chandler: “I’ve a curveball, as nicely. That’s a comic story. I popped my arm on a curveball once I was a freshman in highschool, so I informed myself I’d by no means throw that pitch once more. However pitching in skilled baseball is difficult. I wanted a pitch that went straight down, and I’ve at all times been capable of throw a curveball, type of 12-6-ish, so I used to be like, ‘You recognize what? I’ll begin throwing it once more.’
“I began throwing it once more final yr, and it was truly quite a bit higher than I assumed it was going to be. It arrange my slider rather well, as a result of it’s a unique form for the hitter’s eyes. The curveball is 81 [mph] with -5, -10 drop, [whereas] the slider is 90 with -2 drop. The curveball has gotten quite a bit higher this offseason, too.”
Laurila: You popped your arm on a curveball?
Chandler: “Oh yeah. Have you ever ever hit your humorous bone?”
Laurila: After all.
Chandler: “Nicely, I broke my humorous bone. I threw that curveball to a man named Kumar Rocker. You most likely know him? We went to highschool collectively, and had been enjoying an intersquad. I threw him a curveball, he hit it about 400 toes, and I had surgical procedure on my elbow two days later.
“I rehabbed for nearly a yr and a half. I stored rising, an inch right here, half an inch there — my progress plates had been being bizarre — so the rehab stored getting extended. The damage occurred in January of my freshman yr, and I didn’t even choose up a baseball once more till January of my sophomore yr.”
Laurila: Talking of rising, I’ve seen you listed at 6-foot-2, 200 kilos. Is that correct?
Chandler: “Nah, man. I don’t get mad at actually something — I’m an easygoing man — however that grinds me, as a result of I’ve had hassle placing on weight my entire life. I ate six Whoppers a day for six months going into my senior yr, and went from 160 to 200. Now I’m 6-3 and round 220. I feel they’re lastly going to get that modified.”
Laurila: I learn final summer time that your changeup is usually mistaken for a two-seamer?
Chandler: “So once I was in Double-A, with the minor league ball, it was somewhat extra vertical. I stored it sub-12 vert, with somewhat larger spin — it was near 2,000 [rpm] spin — and it had 18-20 horizontal. After I bought to Triple-A, it dropped all the way down to sub-six with about the identical horizontal and round 1,500 spin. Then, this offseason, each time I throw it, it’s sub-three vert with 20 horizontal. So, I feel it’s extra of a real changeup now. The lean and the spin are tremendous low.”
Laurila: The spin modified that a lot with a unique ball?
Chandler: “All the pieces type of modified. In spring coaching final yr we threw large league balls, clearly, after which once I bought despatched all the way down to minor league camp, my slider motion was fully completely different. I imply, it was drastic. My slider was -1, -2 with a giant league ball, and once I bought despatched down it was like three, 4. I used to be like, ‘It is a completely completely different pitch. What’s happening?’ It was type of the identical factor in Altoona, however then once I bought referred to as as much as Indianapolis, it went again to sub-zero. It was extra of a gyro pitch. This offseason, it’s gotten depthier, which is what I’m on the lookout for.”
Laurila: You stated earlier that establishing your pitches is particularly essential.
Chandler: “Sure. My profile is… like, the motive force goes to be the heater more often than not. Wherever my heater goes, first pitch, that’s what we’re enjoying off of. If my first pitch to a righty is a heater down the center, I can run a changeup off that. It’s going to be low-and-in, and both it’s going to be a take for a strike, or he’s going to beat it into the dust. I might additionally save that changeup for once I get to 2 strikes; I can throw a slider off the heater and get the identical factor. So yeah, every little thing comes off the fastball.”
Laurila: Do you contemplate velocity to be essential to your recreation?
Chandler: “After all. The tougher you throw, the much less time hitters must react.”
Laurila: I learn on this yr’s Baseball America Handbook that you simply get a variety of extension, which helps generate a flatter aircraft out of your vertical slot. Does that make sense?
Chandler: “Sure. My extension is round [six feet, nine inches]. After which my launch peak is shut to 6 toes, or one thing like that. It had been round [five feet, eight inches], however I mounted the mechanics with my decrease half this offseason, which has added a variety of vert to my fastball. The extension is about the identical, or perhaps an inch or two additional, so the fastball has been trying nice. All the pieces is trying nice.”
Laurila: Pitchers are at all times speaking store and evaluating grips. Who’re the fellows you’ve had essentially the most fascinating interactions with?
Chandler: “Braxton Ashcraft is one. We’re type of comparable with some stuff. After which, among the finest pitchers I’ve ever been round is Thomas Harrington. That dude… each single offseason he comes again with a unique pitch. And it’s elite. He additionally understands pressures on the ball, and stuff like that, quite a bit higher than I do. He’s a man I can speak to about the best way to manipulate a slider, as a result of he throws this tougher, downer curveball that’s just about a super-depthy slider. And if he needs to, he can throw a freaking Clayton Kershaw curveball with that very same grip, simply with completely different stress. So, Thomas Harrington and Braxton Ashcraft have been guys which have helped me with a changeup grip, a curveball grip — type of manipulating the completely different sides, and pressures, of the ball.”
Laurila: Any closing ideas in your growth as a pitcher?
Chandler: “Probably not. I’ve realized quite a bit, however on the similar time, my ideas on pitching are actually simply throw strikes, believe, and belief your stuff. Wager on your self.”
