Bubba Chandler

The Pirates have been widely second-guessed for their handling of Chandler in 2025. He had a 1.42 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 36:7 K:BB at Triple-A on May 1, and there was no apparent reason for him to not get the call. Things went south from there, as Chandler lost his control. Over the next three-plus months at Triple-A, Chandler walked four or more batters in six of 18 starts while logging a 1.75 WHIP and 85:46 K:BB in 74.2 innings. The Pirates finally gave him a shot in late-August after waiting long enough to not exhaust his rookie eligibility in 2025. Chandler pitched like the pitcher those highest on him expected him to be, with the exception of a blowup outing Sept. 7 against the Brewers in which he gave up nine earned runs in 2.2 innings. Excluding that start, Chandler had a 1.57 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 28:1 K:BB in 28.2 innings across six outings. The 23-year-old power righty has three plus pitches in his 99-mph fastball, 92-mph changeup and 89-mph slider. His fastball and slider have projected as easy plus pitches for a couple years, but his changeup actually led the way with a 39.6 percent whiff rate against big leaguers. Chandler is young and throws very hard, but he's also got a workhorse 6-foot-3 frame and minimal injury history, having logged 110-plus innings in three straight seasons. With good health and the same command he showed at the beginning and end of 2025, Chandler could emerge as one of the game's best young starters. Read Past Outlooks