Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Bubba Chandler Impresses in Low-A Debut

Bubba Chandler was one of the most talented members of the Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 draft class. Tuesday night he made his Low-A debut and impressed in the process.

Last year’s draft class could prove to be a strong one for the Pittsburgh Pirates. A big reason for this, and a big reason why so many outlets were high on the draft class, was due to the Pirates being able to sign four top-100 prospects who had signability questions due to their college commitments.

One of these four players was shortstop/pitcher Bubba Chandler. Due to the Georgia native being committed to play quarterback at Clemson there were concerns that he would not sign with a team if drafted. This was likely the only thing that kept Chandler from being a first-round pick, potentially even a top 10-20 pick.

Chandler started this seasoning playing in the Florida Complex League. He hit for a .231/.444/.654 slash line to go with a 25.0% walk rate, just a 16.7% strikeout rate and he posted a 183 wRC+. He also pitched 15.1 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while walking 10 batters and striking out 27.

His performance in the Complex League earned the 19-year-old a promotion to the Low-A level. Tuesday night Chandler made his debut with the Bradenton Marauders, and it did not take long for him to impress.

In his first at-bat with the Marauders the right-handed hitter ripped a double.

Serving as Bradenton’s designated hitter Chandler went 2-for-3 with his double and a pair of runs scored in a 4-1 victory. Chandler is expected to serve as Bradenton’s designated hitter, while also pitching for the Marauders.

Following the development of Chandler the rest of the season is something fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates should be very invested in. Especially once Chandler also begins to pitch for the Marauders. It may not be long before Chandler develops into one of the best prospects in all of baseball.