Pirates Prospect Duo Named Rookie of the Year Candidates

Griffin is a great hitter, combining contact and power to make him not only efficient at the plate, but someone pitchers fear.

He turns 20 years old in April and his combination of his bat, fielding and speed on the basepaths make a future baseball star.

If he gets an early enough chance to play, Griffin winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award is a strong possibility.

Why Bubba Chandler Could Win it

Unlike Griffin, Chandler spent the last month-and-a-half with the Pirates, gaining valuable experience towards the end of 2025.

Chandler excelled in his MLB debut vs. the Colorado Rockies that same day, throwing four scoreless innings of relief in a save in the 9-0 win for the Pirates.

He became the first player in MLB history to throw a scoreless four-inning save in his debut, and the first Pirates pitcher to throw a four-inning save in his debut.

Chandler then threw four more scoreless innings in a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Aug. 27, earning his first MLB win. He became the first Pirates pitcher that earned a save and a win in their first two MLB outings.

He came out of the bullpen again vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on Sept. 2, where he gave up two home runs and three earned runs over four innings, but still earned his second victory in the 9-7 victory.

Chandler made his first MLB start vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on Sept. 7 and had his worst outing of the season, giving up nine earned runs over 2.2 innings in the 10-2 defeat.

He bounced back the rest of the campaign, with just six hits, no walks and two earned runs allowed over his final three starts and 16.2 innings with 19 strikeouts.

Chandler also threw five perfect innings vs. the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sept. 13, before giving up two hits and a run. The Pirates would go on and win that contest, 5-1, giving Chandler a no-decision.

He finished his first stint with the Pirates with a 4-1 record over seven appearances and four stats, a 4.02 ERA over 31.1 innings pitched, 31 strikeouts to four walks, a .214 opposing batting average and a 0.93 WHIP.

The 23-year old possesses a great four-seam fastball, that averages around 98.9 mph and can reach higher than 100 mph.

Chandler also has two great offspeed pitches in his changeup and slider, which opposing hitters posted a .080 and a .087 slider batting average against, respectively, last season.

His changeup goes around 91.7 mph and his slider isn't far behind at 89.0 mph, with his velocity making the difference on those pitches and their effectiveness.

Chandler will need better command, as he struggled in starts against the top hitting teams, but he showed against weaker opponents that he isn't afraid of throwing his fastball right by them and mixing in the offspeed for strikeouts and ground outs.

If he shows improvement in that area and continues his development throughout 2025, he'll definitely have a shot at following teammate Paul Skenes in winning the prestigious award.