MLB Names Pirates Pitching Prospect of the Year
In a Pittsburgh Pirates farm system that has impressive pitching littered through, it was Bubba Chandler who stood out above the rest.
The Pirates' top prospect and No. 15 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline was named the franchise's pitching prospect, narrowly beating out No. 5 prospect Thomas Harrington. Ultimately, Chandler's improvements as the season progressed gave him the nod.
"Hat tip to Thomas Harrington and his impressive season, but Chandler just got better and better as the year went on," MLB.com writes. "While his 3.08 ERA was third among Pirates arms with 100 or more IP, he led the system in strikeouts (148), K/9 (11.1), K/BB percentage (22.3) and xFIP (3.37) while finishing second in WHIP (1.02) and BAA (.187)."
Chandler, a 6-foot-2 right-hander, went 10-7 with a 3.08 ERA and struck out 148 batters over 119.2 innings pitched across Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis in 2024. The Pirates' top prospect was especially impressive upon reaching Indianapolis, going 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA in seven starts and striking out 54 batters in 39.1 innings pitched.
In Chandler's final 10 starts, he had four in which he pitched at least five innings and didn't allow a run.
Along with Chandler, Harrington (No. 91) and Braxton Ashcraft (No. 85) ranked in the MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects. The Pirates' pitching depth in the minor leagues earned it the top spot in MLB's rankings of the teams with the top pitching prospects.
"No other team has as many Top 100 pitchers (three) as the Pirates, even with the graduations of Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. Bubba Chandler leads the way, and he and the other two (Braxton Ashcraft and Thomas Harrington) should impact the big leagues in 2025," MLB.com writes. "They also have intriguing lefties in the top 10 in Hunter Barco and Anthony Solometo, and don’t forget 2024 draftee Levi Sterling, who has a huge ceiling."
Paul Skenes and Jared Jones impressed in the inaugural seasons in the big leagues. If Chandler can also live up to the billing if or when he's called up, the Pirates may have one of the best pitching rotations in all of baseball for years to come.
