Bubba Chandler

Roy Ruben Chandler

Bats Both, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
High School North Oconee High School
Debut August 22, 2025

Born September 14, 2002 in Lawrenceville, GA USA

Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Bubba Chandler was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 3rd round of the 2021 amateur draft, out of a high school in Georgia where he was a two-way player, playing shortstop and pitching. It was a disappointment for him, as he had expected to be taken in the 1st round, and he almost decided to turn down their offer in order to head to Clemson University, where he had been promised an opportunity to become the school's next quarterback. He changed his mind when the Pirates offered him a signing bonus of $3 million, well over the slot's value.

He played his first season as a pro as a position player, seeing time at both shortstop and DH for the FCL Pirates Black in 2021. He hit just .167 in 11 games and starting in 2022 was used as a pitcher in addition to DH'ing. In 46 games between the FCL Pirates and Bradenton Marauders of the Florida State League, he hit .196/.331/.382, with 4 homers and 17 RBIs, but it was as a pitcher that he stood out, going 1-1, 2.61 in 14 games, including 11 starts. He allowed just 23 hits in 41 1/3 innings, walked 28 batters, and struck out 60, a sign that he had overpowering stuff but was still struggling to control it. In 2023, he was exclusively a pitcher, and went 10-4, 4.54 in 25 starts between the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the South Atlantic League and the Altoona Curve of the Eastern League. He only made one start in AA, but it was a really good one as he allowed just one hit in 5 innings, walked none and struck out 8. Overall, he pitched 111 innings and struck out 128 batters against 50 walks.

In 2024 he took over as the Pirates' top-ranked prospect when pitchers Paul Skenes and Jared Jones were promoted to the big league team and stuck around long enough to grow out of the prospect designation. For his part, he was assigned to AA, where he was still much younger than the average player in AA, and continued to pitch well, earning a trip to the 2024 Futures Game as part of the National League team. He went 10-7, 3.08 in 26 games between AA and AAA. In 2025, the question was not whether Bubba would make his debut with the big league team, but when. The Pirates decided to play things conservatively by sending him back to the minors to start the season, and then kept him there longer than anyone expected, as did not have a dominating season with the Indianapolis Indians. In 24 starts totaling exactly 100 innings, he went 5-6, 4.05, with 121 strikeouts but also 53 walks, a significantly higher walk rate than in previous seasons. Still, everyone knew that he would make his debut before the end of the season, and the anticipated call came on August 20th. By that point, he was rated as the #1 pitching prospect in the minor leagues.

He made his major league debut on August 22, 2025, taking over on the mound for Braxton Ashcraft after he had thrown five scoreless, one-hit innings against the Colorado Rockies. Bubba continued exactly in the same vein, allowing just 2 hits and no runs over the final four innings to earn a save in Pittsburgh's 9-0 win. He was the first player in franchise history to record a save in his big league debut. His first major league win came in his next outing, another relief appearance on August 27th with four scoreless innings in relief in a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

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