Paul Skenes turns up the heat on Pirates to promote Bubba Chandler

It's safe to say that just about every Pittsburgh Pirates fan wants to see Bubba Chandler in black and gold, like, yesterday. But no one is more excited to see Pittsburgh's top pitching prospect join the Pirates' rotation than the man currently at the front of it.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes – who was in Chandler's position this time last year as the Pirates' top pitching prospect who was knocking on the door of the major leagues – recently shared that he is eagerly anticipating Chandler's arrival in Pittsburgh, whenever that may be.

“He’s my buddy,” Skenes told Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. “Looking forward to being with him every day, whenever that is. He’s going to bring a lot to the staff, I’m fired up to see that. I’m excited.”

Paul Skenes turns up the heat on Pirates to promote Bubba Chandler

Chandler continued to live up to the hype in his latest start with Triple-A Indianapolis Thursday night. The 22-year-old right-hander pitched five innings, striking out nine, walking one and allowing one earned run on three hits against Omaha (Kansas City Royals).

Chandler retired the first nine hitters in order, striking out six of them. He threw 71 pitches (47 strikes) in his five frames, routinely hitting 100 MPH on the radar gun with his fastball (as is customary). He has pitched a season-high five innings in each of his last two starts, which roughly matches the timeline set out by Pirates general manager Ben Cherington last month. Cherington stressed that the club would be taking a measured approach with Chandler's development, similar to the one they took with Skenes last season.

Chandler, the Pirates’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 14 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, has been virtually unhittable in his first six starts at Triple-A this season, posting a 1.42 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP with 36 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings of work. He has also demonstrated exceptional command, walking just seven batters all season.

Chandler certainly looks ready to face major league hitting, and it shouldn't be too long before we see him in Pittsburgh. Skenes' ringing endorsement can only help.

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