Pittsburgh Pirates Set To Call Up Top Prospect

After what feels like an eternity, the Pittsburgh Pirates have finally done what every fan with a pulse has been screaming about all season long. They are bringing up Bubba Chandler. The team announced they are promoting their top pitching prospect to the big leagues, with the right-hander expected to make his MLB debut this Friday against the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. Will he live up to the hype?

Why Pittsburgh Waited This Long Nobody Knows

This move should have happened months ago. Chandler has been the talk of baseball prospect circles, ranked as the seventh-best prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline. The kid was practically gift-wrapped and ready for delivery, but the Pirates decided to let him marinate in Indianapolis like a slow-cooked brisket.

Sure, his 4.05 ERA at Triple-A this season wasn’t exactly Cy Young material, but this is a 22-year-old who struck out 121 batters in 100 innings. He was practically begging to face major league hitting, and the Pirates kept him down there longer than a submarine on patrol. The most frustrating part? Chandler started the season on fire. Through his first 11 starts, he allowed just 11 earned runs.

What Makes Chandler Special

He is not just another prospect with decent stuff. He has the kind of arsenal that makes hitting coaches wake up in cold sweats. Pittsburgh snagged Chandler with the 72nd overall pick in 2021 out of North Oconee High School in Georgia. They had to shell out $3 million to convince him to skip his commitment to Clemson, where he would have played both baseball and football. Smart money says that was a great investment by the ballclub.

What makes his story even more compelling is his journey. He started as a two-sport athlete but made the smart decision to focus entirely on pitching in 2023. That laser focus paid off big time, as he rocketed through the minor league system.

The Bulk Reliever Role Makes Perfect Sense

Now, before fans start planning a Cy Young acceptance speech, let’s pump the brakes just a bit. The team plans to use him as a bulk reliever initially. That is pretty smart baseball. Throwing a 22-year-old prospect into the rotation during a season where the Pirates are sitting at 53-74 would be like throwing him to the wolves. Using him as a bulk reliever lets him get his feet wet, face major league hitters in lower-pressure situations, and build confidence without the weight of a rotation spot on his shoulders.

The team has made it clear they view Chandler as a future starter, and he could even get some starts down the stretch if things go well. It is the kind of measured approach that shows the front office is learning how to handle its prospects properly.

What This Means For the Pirates’ Future

Paul Skenes has been electric this season, and the thought of pairing him with Chandler in the Pirates’ rotation has fans dreaming of playoff runs and pennant races. Chandler joins fellow rookie righties Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft, creating what could be one of the most promising young pitching cores in baseball. Add in veteran Mitch Keller, and suddenly the rotation doesn’t look like the disaster it’s been for most of this season.

The timing isn’t coincidental either. With the season winding down and the club managing innings loads, bringing him up now gives them a long look at what their future rotation might look like. It is the kind of forward-thinking move that has been sorely missing from this organization for far too long.

The Bottom Line On Chandler’s Promotion

Pirates fans have every right to be excited about this move. After years of watching the organization mishandle prospects and make questionable decisions, promoting the prospect feels like a step in the right direction. Will he immediately transform the team into contenders? Probably not. They have too many holes to plug for one pitcher to fix everything, but he represents hope. In Pittsburgh, that has been in shorter supply than a winning season.