Pirates' future rotation behind Paul Skenes looks unstoppable after MLB Pipeline rankings

In 2025, it was clear that the starting rotation was one of the lone bright spots for the Pittsburgh Pirates. When you have Paul Skenes, it's hard not to consider your starters a strength.

However, it wasn't just a one-man show. Skenes at the top certainly did most of the heavy lifting, but the Pirates' rotation overall ranked sixth in baseball with a 3.71 ERA. It's hard to get much better than that, but it would appear that Pittsburgh is just getting started.

Last year's rotation relied heavily, at times, on average-to-below-average veterans like Andrew Heaney and Bailey Falter. Now, in 2026, we'll see them replaced with higher-upside plays like Braxton Ashcraft and Carmen Mlodzinski, but that's only the beginning.

MLB.com ranked Pirates youngsters Bubba Chandler and Seth Hernandez as two of the top five right-handed prospects in the game. Chandler placed second on the list and could make a big impact in 2026. Hernandez came in at No. 5, despite the fact that the 19-year-old has yet to throw a professional pitch after being taken sixth overall in last year's draft.

The Pirates' future rotation could be an unstoppable juggernaut with Bubba Chandler, Seth Hernandez, and others ascending to support Paul Skenes

The reasons for Chandler and Hernandez's placement on the list are very different. For Chandler, it's about his production at the minor league level, including him racking up an astronomical 457 strikeouts in 372 innings. For Hernandez, it's all about the projection that the nation's top prep arm brings to the table.

We got a glimpse of Chandler last season, with the 23-year-old debuting in an unorthodox way, becoming the first Pirates pitcher to earn a save in his first big league outing. Overall, it was just a 31.1-inning sample, but the 4.02 ERA he put up in that time is misleading. Chandler showed off the blazing fastball that makes him so tantalizing, but also a level of maturity, posting a 3.2% walk rate that likely isn't sustainable, but hints that he has serious control over his electric arsenal.

Pittsburgh will be counting on him to make the leap in 2026 and establish himself in the rotation. Meanwhile, Hernandez will get his feet wet. While there's no rush, if he hits the ground running, there's a good chance he could be a fast riser.

Having two potential young stars is great, but the future of the rotation looks bright for a few other reasons as well. Hunter Barco is still a top-100 prospect, and if he can reach his ceiling, he'll be a valuable piece given his status as one of the few left-handed options Pittsburgh has.

Thomas Harrington is another young arm with potential who could make a big league impact sooner rather than later. He might not have the ceiling of some of the others, but he still has some promise that he can be a solid contributor.

Between Chandler and Hernandez, plus some of these other prospects and young big leaguers, the Pirates could be looking at having a pair of aces alongside Skenes, plus several other talented starters to fill out the rotation in a couple of years.

It's not just the high-end talent, but also the depth, that could have Pittsburgh on the verge of owning the best rotation in baseball in the not-so-distant future.