Pittsburgh Review

This season, Indianapolis has been no stranger to fast-rising pitching prospects. Mere months after Paul Skenes' ascension from Indy ace to National League All-Star Game starter to potential Rookie of the Year, another Pirates top prospect was dominant in his Triple-A debut in the form of Bubba Chandler. The righty threw seven scoreless innings en route to a 6-0 win over the Nashville Sounds (Brewers) at First Horizon Park, collecting six strikeouts in the process.

While Chandler looked right at home in his first Triple-A start, holding the Sounds hitless through five innings, he acknowledged that his promotion from Double-A Altoona came with its fair share of adjustments. At 21 years old, Chandler is the youngest player on the Indianapolis roster.

“In the clubhouse, guys are a little older and a little more experienced,” Chandler said. “It’s been great being around them, picking some guys’ brains.”

Among the experienced members of the Indianapolis lineup is No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis, who made his Major League debut last season. Davis and Chandler were both selected by the Pirates in the 2021 Draft in the first and third round, respectively. The two have often been grouped together in Pittsburgh prospect rankings but had never shared the field before Friday.

“That guy is a big league catcher for a reason,” Chandler said. “I’ve known Henry for three years now, but I think that’s the first time he has caught me in a game. I had a lot of fun with him.”

Chandler's 2024 season hasn’t been entirely linear. He started with Double-A Altoona but missed time in May with forearm soreness and struggled upon his return. By mid-July, however, he had improved significantly and earned himself a place on the National League All-Star Futures Game roster.

“We had a good plan going into [today's start]," Chandler said. "I throw a lot of fastballs, and the plan was to pitch backwards all day today and see how it works."

The results were undeniable -- of Chandler’s 85 pitches, only two were hit hard into fair territory. The Nashville lineup whiffed on 36.8 percent of its swings.

“A bunch of those guys in the lineup tonight, they’ve been in the big leagues," Chandler noted about facing experienced opponents like Tyler Black (MLB's No. 33 prospect). "It’s good matchups to test where I’m at mentally and physically with my pitches.”