Pirates can match last decade's Dodgers with historic feat in 2025

Paul Skenes' first season in the big leagues was very exciting, as he started in the All-Star Game and won the National Leauge Rookie of the Year award, but in 2025, things could get even more historic in Pittsburgh. Bubba Chandler is the Pirates' top-rated prospect and is on the doorstep of Pittsburgh's starting rotation, similar to Jared Jones last spring.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline predicted recently that Chandler will win the Rookie of the Year award in 2025, which would mark the second straight season a Pirate would earn the honor. Going back-to-back in that department is rare, and the last time a team did so was in 2016-2017, when the Dodgers had two bright stars in Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger who shined in their rookie seasons.

Mayo also made a solid point, stating that Chandler has an easier path to the major leagues after the Pirates sent Luis Ortiz to Cleveland. If Chandler works out like he is expected to, this would represent a really good swap in the rotation for the Pirates, as Ortiz is due for a regression and Chandler has ace potential.

For that reason, there is a good chance Chandler is a part of the starting rotation to start the season, which will boost his chances of earning top honors, given his increased inning count, as long as the numbers match. There are some other components to this feat that will make it difficult for Chandler, but most things that are historical are tough.

Pirates could make history with potential Paul Skenes-Bubba Chandler Rookie of the Year awards back to back.

One of Chandler's main competitors for the award in 2025 could be Japenese star Roki Sasaki. He has not signed with any team yet, but there is a chance he ends up in the National League. We can all dream that Sasaki chooses the Pirates and competes with Chandler internally for the award, but realistically, that probably will not happen.

Chandler has the stuff to dominate at the big league level, which he displayed in Double-A and Triple-A last season. He posted an earned run average of 3.08 with a FIP of 3.10 across 119.2 innings and struck out 148 batters. Opponents batted .187 against him, and he walked hitters at a 8.6% clip to generate a WHIP of 1.02.

Those numbers are excellent, and if they translate to the major leagues, the Pirates could mark history with back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners.