What are Pittsburgh Pirates' options to fill rotation after Falter, Jones injuries?

Pirates Prospects

If the Pirates want to get bold, they could shoot top prospect Bubba Chandler straight to the big leagues. There’s no question his stuff would play. He has a fastball that sits in the upper 90s and tops out at triple-digits. He also has a plus slider, an above-average changeup, and improving command. His performance should also put him under consideration for a bump to Triple-A Indy, at the very least.

Chandler has tossed 61.2 innings this year with a 3.65 ERA, 3.24 FIP, and 1.04 WHIP. Opponents almost never get a hit off of Chandler, sporting a .188 batting average against. When they do get hits, they’re almost never homers, as Chandler has an 0.73 HR/9 on the year. He’s also been decent at limiting base runners with an 8.9% walk rate. Chandler is also rocking a K% just a touch above 30% at 30.4%. 

But since the start of June, Chandler has been next to untouchable on the mound. He has a 1.97 ERA, 1.61 FIP, and 0.73 WHIP over his last 33 frames. Chandler has punched out over a third of his opponents with a 33.9% K%, but he also has a walk rate of just 2.4%. He’s only allowed 21 hits for a .173 batting average against. Of those hits, only one was a home run. 

Another top pitching prospect at Double-A the Pirates could shuttle straight to the bigs is Thomas Harrington. Harrington doesn’t have the overwhelming velocity of Chandler, but he has good movement on his fastball, slider, changeup, cutter, and two-seamer. He also is arguably the best command right-hander in the Pirates’ system.

Harrington’s numbers on the year at least merit a promotion to Triple-A, at the very least. He’s thrown 52.2 innings with a 2.56 ERA, 3.03 FIP, and 1.03 WHIP. He has a respectable 24.4% K%, and an 0.68 HR/9. Notably, he’s limited walks at an extremely good rate, posting a BB% of just 3.3%. He has one of the lowest walk rates among all minor-league pitchers this year.