Scouting Report

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

North Oconee HS (Bogart, Ga.) produced a potential No. 1 overall pick for the 2021 Draft in Kumar Rocker, who's now at Vanderbilt, and the Titans have another right-hander on the rise in Chandler. Originally committed to Georgia for baseball, Chandler flipped to Clemson last May when the Tigers offered him a football scholarship as a quarterback. His future looks brighter in baseball, as he's a potential first-round pick as a pitcher and some scouts believe he shows more promise at shortstop.

After working with an 88-93 mph fastball last summer, Chandler has made a leap to operating at 92-95 and touching 97 this spring. He possesses a quick arm and also has added power to his downer curveball, which now resides in the upper 70s, and his less-used slider, which gets up to 85 mph. He shows trust in his low-80s changeup as well. 

Chandler's athleticism and clean arm action and delivery bode well for his control and command, though he's still learning to harness his enhanced stuff. He's also an intriguing prospect as a switch-hitting shortstop with solid power potential and speed. He's believed to prefer baseball, though it remains to be seen how Clemson football will affect his signability. 

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 60

Chandler’s athleticism as a two-way player (who also could have gone to Clemson to play football and baseball) intrigued scouts enough to move him into first-round conversations in 2021. Signability was an issue, but the Pirates, who had saved money with Henry Davis as the No. 1 overall pick, were able to swoop in at the start of Day 2 of the Draft and sign Chandler for $3 million, first-round money. He both hit and pitched through the 2022 season, but a move to pitching only in '23 allowed him to take a strong step forward, ending the year with a dominant debut at Double-A.

After struggling early in the year, Chandler made some excellent adjustments in terms of routine and preparation, allowing him to post a 1.66 ERA and .163 batting average against over his last nine starts following the All-Star break. He’s always had impressive physical gifts and pure stuff, and he has made strides in becoming a more complete pitcher. He has an electric fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches the upper-90s, thrown with excellent life. It's a plus pitch that misses a lot of bats up in the zone. His upper-80s slider has become his go-to secondary offering and it has the chance to be a true out pitch, and he can still fold in a curveball. He’s committed to throwing his changeup more and it could be another above-average offering in time.

Because of his athleticism, there has always been confidence that Chandler would become a consistent strike-thrower with more reps, and he walked only 2.4 per nine over those last nine starts. The Pirates also think being around Paul Skenes at the end of the year and beyond will only help Chandler learn about how to prepare and reach his considerable ceiling.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Not only was Chandler a talented two-way player in high school, he was also a two-sport star. He could have gone to Clemson to pitch and hit, as well as play quarterback, but the Pirates used the bonus pool savings from Henry Davis to give Chandler $3 million in the third round to convince him to begin his pro career. He’s been hitting and pitching so far in his brief pro career, reaching full-season ball in 2022, but his strides on the mound are pointing to a pitching-only future.

While Chandler does have abilities as a switch-hitting infielder with some pop, he’d only been DHing as a pro, and the time might come soon when he focuses on pitching only. That could be scary for opposing hitters, because he’s already shown considerable development on the mound. His fastball touched 99 mph in the Florida State League last year and averaged in the mid-90s. While they can blend together at times, he has a distinct slider and curve, throwing the former a lot more in 2022, showing an ability to miss plenty of bats. His changeup will continue to get better the more he throws it.

A focus on pitching will also allow Chandler to use his athleticism to learn to repeat his delivery and improve his command, something that’s been spotty in the early going. He can get in trouble when he falls behind and just tries to blow it by hitters; learning to trust his stuff in the zone is something that could come with dedicated reps and gives him a very high ceiling.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

There was little Chandler couldn’t do as a high school athlete, starring as a pitcher and a shortstop during baseball season and as a quarterback on the gridiron. When the Pirates took him in the third round of the 2021 Draft, they had to sign him away from a chance to play both sports at Clemson, giving him $3 million to do so. He got a handful of at-bats during a brief pro debut, but the plan is to let Chandler develop both ways, at least for the time being.

Most believe Chandler’s long-term future is better on the mound. He added velocity as a high school senior, topping out at 97 mph and easily sitting 92-95, thrown with a ton of arm speed. His downer curve also features more power, thrown in the upper-70s and while he hasn’t thrown his mid-80s slider as much, it’s a solid offering. He has good feel for his low-80s changeup to give him a potential four-pitch mix.

As an infielder, Chandler is a switch-hitter with a good amount of raw power. His athleticism and speed play on both sides of the ball, with obviously enough arm to play short. He has a higher ceiling on the mound, but it’s too soon to rule out his ability to do both things well at the next level.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Chandler not only starred as a two-way player for North Oconnee High School’s baseball team in Georgia, he also was a standout as a quarterback for the school’s football team, leading to him to change his commitment from Georgia for baseball only to Clemson, who offered him the chance to keep playing football as well. The right-hander and shortstop will focus on baseball only now after the Pirates took him in the third round of the 2021 Draft and went way over slot to sign him for $3 million.

The Pirates plan to allow Chandler to explore hitting and pitching, at least at the outset of his career. On the mound, his fastball made a leap up to 92-95 mph, touching 97 this past spring. He possesses a quick arm and also has added power to his downer curveball, which now resides in the upper 70s, and his less-used slider, which gets up to 85 mph. He shows trust in his low-80s changeup as well. 

Chandler's athleticism and clean arm action and delivery bode well for his control and command, though he's still learning to harness his enhanced stuff. He's also an intriguing switch-hitting shortstop with solid power potential and speed and it should be an interesting story line to follow how the Pirates allow him to keep hitting and pitching as a pro.

Awards

Baseball America Minor League All-Star

Year	Team
2024

INT Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
08/11/2024

Futures Game Selection

Year	Team
2024

EAS Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
06/23/2024

SAL Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
08/06/2023

FSL Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
08/28/2022

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	09/25/2024	Indianapolis Indians activated RHP Bubba Chandler.
	09/18/2024	Indianapolis Indians transferred RHP Bubba Chandler to the Development List.
	08/08/2024	RHP Bubba Chandler assigned to Indianapolis Indians from Altoona Curve.
	08/08/2024	Indianapolis Indians activated RHP Bubba Chandler.
	07/16/2024	Altoona Curve activated RHP Bubba Chandler.
	07/14/2024	National League Futures activated RHP Bubba Chandler.
	07/12/2024	Altoona Curve placed RHP Bubba Chandler on the temporarily inactive list.
	07/12/2024	National League Futures activated RHP Bubba Chandler.
	05/29/2024	Altoona Curve activated RHP Bubba Chandler from the 7-day injured list.
	05/19/2024	Altoona Curve placed RHP Bubba Chandler on the 7-day injured list retroactive to May 18, 2024.
	03/07/2024	Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects activated RHP Bubba Chandler.
	01/30/2024	Pittsburgh Pirates invited non-roster RHP Bubba Chandler to spring training.
	01/30/2024	RHP Bubba Chandler roster status changed by Pittsburgh Pirates.
	09/30/2023	Altoona Curve activated RHP Bubba Chandler.
	09/12/2023	Altoona Curve transferred RHP Bubba Chandler to the Development List.
	09/06/2023	RHP Bubba Chandler assigned to Altoona Curve from Greensboro Grasshoppers.
	09/02/2023	Greensboro Grasshoppers activated DH Bubba Chandler.
	08/25/2023	Greensboro Grasshoppers transferred DH Bubba Chandler to the Development List.
	04/02/2023	DH Bubba Chandler assigned to Greensboro Grasshoppers from Bradenton Marauders.
	07/12/2022	DH Bubba Chandler assigned to Bradenton Marauders from FCL Pirates.
	08/13/2021	RHP Bubba Chandler assigned to FCL Pirates Black.
	07/22/2021	Pittsburgh Pirates signed RHP Bubba Chandler.