Position: RHP
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats/Throws: B/R
Born: 09/14/2002
High School: North Oconee HS (Bogart, GA)
How Acquired: Draft 3rd Round, 72nd Overall, 2021
Bonus: $3,000,000
40-Man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2025
Minor League Free Agency: 2027
Options Left: 3
Overview
Chandler was one of the best athletes in the 2021 draft; MLB Pipeline had him ranked 21st in the draft and Baseball America 20th. He had a commitment to Clemson both for baseball and as a quarterback in football. He was a two-way player in baseball, under consideration by some teams as a shortstop, but the Pirates announced him as a pitcher. At the time he threw 89-93 and reached 97. His velocity has increased, though, and he now sits in the mid-90s and regularly gets higher. The pitch is very effective when he works up and produces a lot of swings and misses. Chandler usually holds his velocity well into outings, but not always. He also has a slider with above-average spin, but it lacked consistency when he was drafted. His change, typically for a prep pitcher, needed work. He probably needed to work on his delivery, but his athleticism gave him a very high ceiling. By 2023, his breaking ball and change were both showing signs of becoming plus pitches. He signed for $3M, which is about mid-1st-round money, far over the slot amount of $870,700. There initially seemed to be an understanding that Chandler would hit as well as pitch, but in 2023 he strictly appeared on the mound.
2021-22
Like all of the Pirates’ prep pitching draftees and some of the college pitchers, Chandler didn’t pitch the year he was drafted. He did, however, play three games at short and eight as DH. He showed some power and patience, but had a lot of trouble making contact.
In 2022, Chandler opened with the FCL Pirates, then moved up to Bradenton after a month. At both locations, he took a regular turn as a starter and often served as DH when he wasn’t pitching. On the mound, his stuff was too much for FCL hitters to handle, as shown by an opponents’ average of .061. Chandler scuffled a little when he first moved up, but eventually started to dominate. His fastball sat in the upper-90s early in games, although it would fluctuate after a couple innings. The one problem he had was with walks. He wasn’t generally wild, but would have occasional stretches where he’d lose the plate, possibly due to overthrowing. He usually was able to work out of it, so there’s no reason to think it’s an insurmountable problem. His K/9 was 15.8 in the FCL and 11.4 for Bradenton, so he was missing a lot of bats.
At the plate, Chandler showed significant power in limited chances in the FCL. In fact, the pitchers seemed to get wary as he walked six times in his last two games. He had more trouble at the higher level, as he struggled to make contact. Although he didn’t play in the field other than pitching, he managed to show off his exceptional athleticism playing defense on the mound.
2023-24
The Pirates decided Chandler would stick to pitching in 2023, and sent him to Greensboro. He effectively had two completely different seasons, powered in part by big strides forward with his secondary stuff. In his first 16 starts, he had a 6.79 ERA and 5.5 BB/9. In his last eight starts for the Hoppers, those numbers were 1.85 and 3.7. He finished his season with one start for Altoona, going five shutout innings, with one hit, no walks and eight strikeouts. For the whole season, his K/9 was 10.4.
The 2024 season was similar, but in the end Chandler had a big year and established himself — with Paul Skenes out of the way — as the Pirates’ top prospect on all the lists. Chandler went back to Altoona and again was somewhat erratic, posting a 5.09 ERA through mid-June. He then fanned 21 in his next two starts and had a 2.25 ERA in his last seven AA games. The Pirates moved him up to Indianapolis and in seven starts there he had a 1.83 ERA and 12.4 K/9. For the full season, Chandler’s control improved, as he walked 3.1 per nine innings, and he had a WHIP of 1.02. Between the two stops, opponents batted .189 against him.
Stats
Transactions
July 12, 2021: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 3rd round, 72nd overall pick; signed on July 21.