The Pittsburgh Pirates are already eliminated from playoff contention and are looking towards the 2026 season. While they have nothing to play for in terms of championship aspirations, there’s still plenty of information to be gleaned from the remaining games.
Starting pitcher Bubba Chandler is one of the most exciting prospects in the system. He took the ball for the Pirates on Saturday against the Athletics and was once again impressive.
He threw five innings and allowed one hit while striking out six on just 68 pitches. The Pirates want to manage his workload, so he was removed from the game early, but he showed no signs of slowing down in the fifth inning.
All three of his pitches were excellent, but his fastball was the best of the bunch. He used his four-seam about 50% of the time, dotting the top of the zone with precision. The pitch averaged 99.3 mph and generated six whiffs.
“[The fastball] was coming out really good in the first. Just tried to execute at the top of the zone when I needed to, get the other pitches in the zone, it felt nice,” Chandler said.
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His changeup and slider were complementary offerings, but each did its job. The slider floated in the strike zone at times, but managed to keep hitters off balance, while his changeup lived below the zone and created five whiffs.
Braxton Ashcraft and Dennis Santana handled the final four innings without allowing a run. The Pirates went on to win 2-0.
Chandler is far from a finished product, but his early starts have been impressive. He’s only 23 years old and already has the arsenal of a productive starting pitcher. He should be on the opening day roster in 2026, and has a serious case to start the second game of the season behind Paul Skenes.
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Featured image via © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images