Bubba Chandler Named to Futures Game Roster

CURVE, PA – Curve right-hander Bubba Chandler, the No. 62 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, has been named to the National League roster for the All-Star Futures Game to be held at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, on Saturday, July 13.

Chandler is joined on the National League roster by fellow Pirates prospect, INF Termarr Johnson, Pittsburgh’s first round draft choice in 2022. The projected Futures Game rosters also include eight players from various Eastern League clubs including INF Brady House (Harrisburg/Washington Nationals), C Samuel Basallo (Bowie/Baltimore Orioles), RHP Brock Selvidge (Somerset/New York Yankees), OF Spencer Jones (Somerset/New York Yankees), C Kyle Teel (Portland / Boston Red Sox), INF Marcelo Meyer (Portland/Boston Red Sox), OF Roman Anthony (Portland/Boston Red Sox), and INF Hao-Yu Lee (Erie/Detroit Tigers). The Futures Game rosters will be managed by Texas Rangers legends Adrian Beltre (American League) and Michael Young (National League). Erie Manager Gabe Alvarez is slated to work as the Third Base coach for the National League.

Altoona has had 21 players previously selected to the MLB All-Star Futures Game since its inception in 1999. C Henry Davis (2022), and RHP Roansy Contreras (2021) were the most recent players selected to the roster, 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes was the last Curve player to participate in the game, doing so in Washington, DC in 2018. Chandler would become the first active Curve player to pitch in the Futures Game since RHP Dovydas Neverauskas pitched in 2016 at Petco Park in San Diego.

Chandler returned from the injured list on May 29 and has turned in a 3-2 record with a 2.76 ERA in six outings since his activation. Chandler has walked just four batters in his last 29.1 IP with 38 strikeouts and he has struck out at least ten batters in each of his last two starts. Chandler was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week (June 17-23) after he struck out a career-high 11 batters in 6.2 innings against Akron. Chandler's second straight strikeout performance was just the third time in franchise history that a Curve pitcher had struck out 10-or-more batters in back-to-back outings joining Tyler Glasnow (7/21/15 vs Erie, 7/26/15 vs Akron) and Roansy Contreras (5/4/21 vs Bowie and 5/11 at Binghamton).

Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft's combined four 10-strikeout games this season make the Curve one of six teams, and the lone team at Double-A or Triple-A, to have two pitchers strikeout 10 or more in a game twice.

Signed as a two-play player, the Pirates selected Bubba Chandler 72^nd overall in 2021 out of North Oconee High School in Georgia. He is slated to take the mound next for Altoona on Wednesday, July 3 at Harrisburg. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. at FNB Stadium.

For tickets and more information on the 2024 Altoona Curve Season, presented by Stuckey Automotive, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.