Pirates Top Prospect Unlikely to Make Roster
Whereas Paul Skenes and Jared Jones had clear paths to the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting rotation in 2024, it may prove to be a more difficult path for Bubba Chandler to crack the starting rotation early next season.
Chandler is the Pirates' top-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline and ranked No. 15 overall in baseball. MLB.com's Alex Stumpf broke down Chandler's chances of making the Pirates' starting rotation out of spring training and while he didn't completely discount them, the odds don't appear to be in favor of the Pirates' top prospect.
"With the obvious caveat that there’s a lot of time between now and Opening Day, I don’t think Chandler has a great shot of making the rotation out of camp," Stumpf wrote. "There were plenty of question marks in the rotation last spring, and Jones took advantage of the opportunity. There’s a lot more depth this time around, so I don’t know if there’s a spot up for grabs. With that said, Chandler is one of the best young pitchers around, and if he shows he’s ready in Spring Training, there’s always a chance."
Chandler, 22, was named the Pirates' pitching prospect of the year by MLB.com. He went 10-7 with a 3.08 ERA in 26 appearances (23 starts) across Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis while striking out a combined 148 batters over 119 2/3 innings.
Chandler was especially impressive in Indianapolis, going 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA in his seven starts there. Over 39 1/3 innings, he struck out 54 batters and held opponents to a .183 batting average.
Skenes, Jones, Mitch Keller, Luis Ortiz and Bailey Falter made up the Pirates' starting rotation by the end of the 2024 season and are all locked in for the foreseeable future, so any prospect hoping to take any of their spots before the start of the 2025 season would be a difficult task. If Chandler can impress in spring training, he may force the Pirates' hand.
