Rum Bunter's top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects: Where does Konnor Griffin debut?

Number One: Bubba Chandler

Given how much pitching is in the Pirates' system, it's no surprise Bubba Chandler was our consensus number one Pirates prospect. The 2021 third-round pick signed the second-highest signing bonus of any third-rounder. This allowed the Pirates to pry him away from his commitment to play football at Clemson. Plus, Chandler was drafted as a two-way player coming out of high school. This was something the Pirates experimented with early in Chandler's pro career, but dropped entirely last season.

Chandler had some bumps in the road adjusting to pitching full-time, but had an outstanding second half in 2023. That's carried over into 2024. Chandler tossed 80.1 innings for Altoona, working to a strong 3.70 ERA, 3.27 FIP, and 1.01 WHIP. Chandler struggled with command early in his career, but has since improved dramatically. He's cut his walk rate down to just 8.1% this season, and he's done so while maintaining a strikeout rate of nearly 30% at 29.4%. He also has not allowed many home runs, with an 0.78 HR/9.

Chandler has looked unstoppable recently. Since the start of June, he has a 2.61 ERA, 2.31 FIP, and 0.79 WHIP. He has a walk rate under 5% (3.1%) with a strikeout rate over 30% (31.6%) over his last 51.2 IP. Chandler has allowed just three home runs as well during this summer.

Chandler continued his dominance in his first Triple-A appearance, tossing seven shut out innings, allowing just one hit, one walk, and striking out six batters. Chandler was touching the upper 90s, topping out at 98.7 MPH.

There's never been any questions about Chandler's stuff. He sits mid-upper 90s with his four-seamer and has topped out at triple-digits before. His four-seamer also has good movement, with just 11.8 inches of drop in his Triple-A debut. His upper-80s slider is his primary breaking pitch, giving him a second pitch with at least above-average potential. Chandler has made major strides forward with his changeup in terms of command. Chandler also has a fourth pitch: a curveball he'll mix in from time to time as well.

Drafted as a RHP/shortstop, Chandler is extremely athletic on the mound. He's been putting that athleticism to good use, improving his command and getting his motion in check. His ability to improve his control and command has helped propel him to the number one spot on our top Pirates list, as well as Baseball America's, MLB Pipeline's, and FanGraphs'.