Bubba Chandler: Fastball/Change-Up combination key to rise

A look at the work between Bubba Chandler's fastball and change-up in his Double-A debut late last season.

From the moment the Pirates drafted Bubba Chandler, he’s been one of the more compelling prospects in the system.

It wasn’t an easy beginning to his 2023 season, as it was the first time he had solely focused on pitching and nothing else, and the consistency wasn’t there.

After the All-Star break, he looked like a completely different pitcher, more in line with what the Pirates thought he could be when they gave him $3 million to sign in the third round and not play baseball and football at Clemson.

Over the last nine games of the season, Chandler posted a 1.66 ERA with 51 strikeouts over 48.2 innings pitched, holding opponents to a .163 average. The most significant difference with Chandler was his control, as he posted a 12.5% walk rate before the All-Star break and then just 7.2% after.

Most of that has been talked about, even I discussed it with then Greensboro (now Altoona) manager Robby Hammock the day before Chandler’s final start in High-A.

Bubba Chandler Showed Resiliency In Challenging 2023

The lone start in Altoona is what I wanted to discuss today and a big reason why Chandler is getting talked about even more on national outlets, even being included on three top 100 lists.