Pirates Manager Stands By Rookie Bubba Chandler

Chandler earned massive hype and plaudits this season, featuring as one of the best prospects in baseball early on in 2025 with Triple-A Indianapolis.

It took longer than many expected, but he finally made it up to the MLB on Aug. 22, and performed well early on, drumming up Pirates fans' excitement for the future of this young pitcher.

Chandler threw back-to-back four-inning scoreless outings in a 9-0 win over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park on Aug. 22 and in a 2-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Aug. 27.

He made MLB history in his first outing, throwing the first four-inning scoreless save in a debut, since it became a stat in 1969, and then made Pirates history against the Cardinals, becoming the the first pitcher in franchise history to have a save and a win in their first two appearances.

Chandler also pitched vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on Sept. 2, where he gave up two home runs and three earned run, but still threw four inning and earned the win in the 9-7 victory.

Kelly has seen Chandler improve and develop through the first four outings, especially with his non-fastball pitches in the changeup, curveball and the slider. He also loves that competitiveness from him, even when things don't go his way.

“I think he’s shown the ability to learn so far," Kelly said. "He’s only had four outings and I’m sure learned something through all of them. Just continue to do that, continue to learn. He’s got an elite fastball. Stick with it. Command the heater, continue to work on your off-speed stuff. We know that he’s going to continue to compete.”

Some managers might look at a start like Chandler had against the Brewers and put their rookie back in the bullpen, but Kelly doesn't see it that way.

He knows that Chandler is a starting pitcher at the MLB level, but will work with him and the pitching staff on how they utilize their rookie going forward the final three weeks of 2025.

“We’re going to talk about that. Bubba’s a starter. He’s a starting pitcher. How that transpires, we’re going to sit down and talk. I’m not saying he wouldn’t be in a bulk role again but he’ll get starts, too. I don’t know what the next one will be but we’ll talk about it and reassess.”

A poor start from a rookie like Chandler could hurt them the rest of the season, but Kelly knows that Chandler will bounce back from this start and get back to what made him so highly touted coming out of the minor leagues.

"Baseball is a tough game to play in general, especially here at the major league level," Kelly said. "Just challenging the guys to always continue learning, how can you make adjustments, how can you get better? I know the competitor that Bubba is. He’s going to be back to the drawing board with Oscar and the pitching group, refining some things. He’ll be ready to go next time he’s out there.”