Chandler adds mix to upper-90s heat in stellar Spring Breakout start
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In the inaugural Spring Breakout game a year ago, as he was coming out to pitch the ninth inning, Bubba Chandler slammed a Red Bull and declared “let’s do this” before pumping upper-90s heat.
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In the inaugural Spring Breakout game a year ago, as he was coming out to pitch the ninth inning, Bubba Chandler slammed a Red Bull and declared “let’s do this” before pumping upper-90s heat.
This year, the Pirates’ top prospect got to start the Spring Breakout game Friday at BayCare Ballpark, a 5-3 Bucs loss, and while he brought the heat again, the pregame routine was slightly modified.
“Red Bulls don’t have any milligrams of caffeine, which is good, but I crushed a C4 today,” Chandler said with a grin. “So, yeah, changed it up a little, but it was cool. Starting it is a lot better than closing it, I will say.”
Chandler, the No. 15 prospect in the game according to MLB Pipeline, set the pace for all other top pitching prospects with his performance Friday. After joking with Phillies prospect Justin Crawford pregame that he was going to start with a changeup, he instead opted for five straight fastballs, finishing with a 98.5 mph four-seamer that caught the outer part of the zone for a called third strike. Chandler would end up throwing two perfect innings, striking out four with two ground-ball outs.
It was a showcase of why this 22-year-old right-hander has blossomed into the top young pitcher in this iteration of the Pirates’ pitching development machine. It’s not just because he flirted with triple digits on the radar gun or struck out two Top 100 prospects (Crawford and Eduardo Tait), but also in what we saw in his at-bat against right fielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. in the second inning. With the count full, Chandler didn’t go back to the fastball, but rather wanted to challenge himself and threw a changeup. Rincones froze and Chandler struck him out.
“Just growing as a pitcher, fastballs can get you through levels, but at the same time, in the big leagues, you've got to be able to mix, and that's kind of my thought behind everything," Chandler said. "[At] 3-2, put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. I love my changeup, I can control it pretty well, let's throw it 3-2. And [catcher] Omar [Alfonzo], me and him are on the same page. He called it, I didn't have to shake to it, and then I executed."
2.0 IP
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) March 14, 2025
0 H
0 R
0 BB
4 K
Bubba Chandler was lights out in the Spring Breakout 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/VLzKbgA2De
Don’t be mistaken, the extra cheddar on his fastball is a big plus too. Chandler threw 11 fastballs at least 98.5 mph, or 99 if you’re into rounding or what flashes up on the screen.
“I’m just really trying to be like Jared Jones,” Chandler said. “But, it was cool. I looked up there, I usually look once an inning just to see where I’m at, just to see if I’m a little sluggish. I looked up there one time and saw it and I’m like, ‘Oh, nice.’”
Chandler tried to be like Jones in another way this spring and try to crack the Opening Day roster. That didn’t happen, as the Pirates reassigned him to Minor League camp on March 6. The Pirates didn’t have enough innings for all of the pitchers they had in camp, and Chandler didn’t make the cut.
That doesn’t at all reflect what the organization thinks about him, and in all likelihood, he’s going to be in the Major Leagues at some point this season.
“My money is on this kid,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after Chandler was sent down. “He's tough, he's resilient. He takes challenges and he's going to be a really good Major League pitcher."
Friday was a small taste of what he can do in those situations and perform against the best of his contemporaries. A year ago, he was closing out a Spring Breakout game that Paul Skenes started. The two are close and work out together in the offseason, and he’s been the team’s top prospect ever since Skenes graduated, following in his footsteps.
“Having to follow a guy like Paul is, I won't say tough, but I think I can do it,” Chandler said.
📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BASEBALL TRAVELER NEWSLETTER
Other notable performances Friday include:
Omar Alfonzo: The Pirates' No. 19 prospect went 1-for-3 with a double and a run, and the starting catcher crushed the ball each of his three times to the plate, registering exit velocities of 108.6 mph, 106.5 mph and 104.2 mph.
Tsung-Che Cheng: The Bucs' No. 17 prospect went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI single in the fifth inning that put the Pirates on the board.
Hunter Barco: The club's No. 7 prospect struck out one over two innings of one-run ball. The southpaw touched 97 mph on the radar gun and got five called strikes with his sinker.
Alex Stumpf covers the Pirates for MLB.com.
Mudcats Announce Promotions Schedule for 35th Anniversary Season
ZEBULON, N.C. – The Carolina Mudcats are thrilled to share details for the new promotions schedule for the 2025 season at Five County Stadium. The new promotions schedule is highlighted by the return of several fan favorite theme nights, 6 souvenir giveaway events, 11 Friday Night Fireworks nights, 4 Special
Mudcats Single-Game Tickets On Sale Now
ZEBULON, N.C. – The Carolina Mudcats, the Class-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, today announced that single-game tickets for the 2025 season are on sale now at www.carolinamudcats.com, by calling (919) 269-2287 and by visiting the Five County Stadium front office in Zebulon. Single-game ticket availability opens up all of
Job Fair Event Set for Thursday, Feb. 27
ZEBULON, N.C. - The Carolina Mudcats are hiring! The Mudcats will host their annual job fair event on Thursday, February 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C. Through the job fair, the Mudcats will look to fill open part-time game-day and seasonal full-time
Nick Stanley Returning as Manager of the Mudcats
ZEBULON, N.C. – The Carolina Mudcats, in conjunction with the Milwaukee Brewers, are thrilled to announce that Nick Stanley is returning as manager of the Mudcats for the 2025 season. The announcement came today as the Brewers announced their player development staff assignments for the 2025 season, including Minor League
Wilson Minor League Baseball To Unveil Team Name And Branding At Public Celebration On Friday, November 22
MILWAUKEE – Wilson’s new Class A affiliated Minor League Baseball Team, which will debut in a beautiful new stadium downtown in 2026, is inviting the public to celebrate the unveiling of the team’s name and branding next Friday, November 22. The event will be hosted by the Milwaukee Brewers (the
Cooper Pratt Named Rawlings Gold Glove Award Recipient
ZEBULON, N.C. – Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) and Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., today announced that 2024 Carolina Mudcats shortstop Cooper Pratt has been named the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® winner for defensive excellence for the shortstop position. Pratt, 20, handled 338 total chances, helped turn 51 double plays and
Pratt, Stanley Honored with Postseason Awards
ZEBULON, N.C. – Coming off a season in which the Carolina Mudcats finished with a 78-51 record, the best mark in the Carolina League, it was announced on Thursday that infielder Cooper Pratt and manager Nick Stanley were honored by Minor League Baseball as postseason All-Star selections. Pratt, a sixth-round
Bitonti Named Brewers Minor League Player of the Month
ZEBULON, N.C - The Milwaukee Brewers announced Monday that Carolina Mudcats infielder Eric Bitonti has been named the organizations Minor League Player of the Month for August. Bitonti is coming off a month in which he posted a slash line of .207/.286/.494 with seven home runs and four doubles while
Mudcats Announce 2025 Season Schedule
ZEBULON, N.C. – The Carolina Mudcats, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, today announced their 2025 regular-season schedule beginning on Friday, April 4 with the season opener at Five County Stadium against the Fredericksburg Nationals. Download a PDF version of the schedule here. Key home dates include Independence Day Week
Castillo Named Carolina League Player Of The Month
ZEBULON, N.C - Just a week after being named the Carolina League Player of the Week, Carolina Mudcats outfielder, Luis Castillo, was named the Carolina League Player of the Month for July as announced on Tuesday morning. Castillo is coming off a month in which he posted a slash line
Castillo Named Carolina League Player Of The Week
ZEBULON, N.C. – The Carolina League announced Monday that Carolina Mudcats outfielder Luis Castillo has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week. Castillo is coming off a series at Salem in which he hit .556 with four home runs and collected 16 RBI while posting a 1.933 OPS.
Mudcats Pratt Named to MLB Futures Game
ZEBULON, N.C. – Carolina Mudcats infielder Cooper Pratt was named to the National League squad for the 2024 MLB Futures Game. The game will be played on Saturday, July 13 as part of MLB’s All-Star event held this year at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. “I’m just super excited
Mudcats Soar Past Columbia
ZEBULON, N.C. - The Carolina Mudcats scored a season-high 16 runs and recorded a season-best 21 hits as they won their third straight game over the Columbia Fireflies by a 16-2 score on Thursday night at Five County Stadium. Columbia (12-11) tied the game at one in the top of
Walk-Off Hit Lifts Mudcats Past Fireflies
ZEBULON, N.C. - Juan Baez singled past a drawn in infield allowing Cooper Pratt to score to lift the Carolina Mudcats to a 2-1 victory in 12 innings over the Columbia Fireflies at Five County Stadium on Wednesday night. Columbia (12-10) had a chance to win the game in the
Mudcats Claim Opener from Fireflies
ZEBULON, NC - The Carolina Mudcats collected 11 hits as they captured the series lidlifter from the Columbia Fireflies 8-3 on Tuesday night at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. Carolina (16-6) jumped out early as Daniel Guilarte tripled to open the bottom of the first and scored one batter later
Guilarte, Garcia Homer As Mudcats Snap Losing Streak in Series Finale
Carolina Mudcats 4 - Salem Red Sox 3 Box Score ZEBULON, NC – The Carolina Mudcats (15-6) got two big swings from Daniel Guilarte and Yhoswar Garcia and a terrific relief appearance from Josh Timmerman Sunday afternoon at Five County Stadium that helped secure a 4-3 win over the Salem
Mudcats Drop Third Straight to Red Sox
Salem Red Sox 4 - Carolina Mudcats 2 Box Score ZEBULON, NC – The Carolina Mudcats (14-6) could not hang onto a one-run lead late Saturday night at Five County Stadium as the Salem Red Sox (9-11) rallied to win 4-2 and claim their third straight victory. The loss guarantees
Garcia Records Three Hits in Mudcats Defeat to Salem
Salem Red Sox 3 - Carolina Mudcats 1 Box Score ZEBULON, NC – Another strong pitching performance from the Salem Red Sox (8-11) was too much to overcome for the Carolina Mudcats (14-5), who fell to the Red Sox 3-1 Friday night at Five County Stadium. The Mudcats have dropped
Mudcats Fall at Home To Salem
Salem Red Sox 3 - Carolina Mudcats 1 Box Score ZEBULON, NC – A comeback wasn't in the cards Thursday night at Five County Stadium as the Carolina Mudcats (14-4) fell to the Salem Red Sox (7-11) by a final score of 3-1. The loss was just the second home
Mudcats Come Back Again Late to Stun Red Sox
Carolina Mudcats 4 - Salem Red Sox 3 Box Score ZEBULON, NC – The Carolina Mudcats (14-3) once again trailed by a pair of runs in the late stages Wednesday afternoon at Five County Stadium but once again prevailed in a 4-3 comeback win over the Salem Red Sox (6-11).
Seventh-Inning Rally Gives Mudcats Thrilling Win in Series Opener
Carolina Mudcats 4 - Salem Red Sox 2 Box Score ZEBULON, NC – The Carolina Mudcats (13-3) found themselves needing another comeback on Tuesday night at Five County Stadium and once again, their offense delivered late. Trailing 2-0, the Mudcats scored four times in the bottom of the seventh to
Carolina Drops Rain-Shortened Series Finale in Augusta
Augusta GreenJackets 3 – Carolina Mudcats 1 (F/6) Box Score NORTH AUGUSTA, SC – The Carolina Mudcats (12-3) would not have enough time to try and pull out another comeback Sunday afternoon at SRP Park as the Augusta GreenJackets (7-8) took home a 3-1 win after the game was called
Mudcats Complete Another Comeback, Win Fourth Straight
Carolina Mudcats 9 – Augusta GreenJackets 7 Box Score NORTH AUGUSTA, SC – Once again, the Carolina Mudcats (12-2) weathered the storm early and exploded offensively late Saturday night at SRP Park as the Mudcats took down the Augusta GreenJackets (6-8) by a 9-7 final score. Carolina has won four
Rodriguez Go-Ahead Grand Slam in Ninth Powers Mudcats to Thrilling Win
Carolina Mudcats 5 – Augusta GreenJackets 3 Box Score NORTH AUGUSTA, SC – In a game where the Carolina Mudcats (11-2) struggled for offense all night long Friday night at SRP Park, all it took was one swing from Yophery Rodriguez to change things. The 18-year-old drove a breaking ball
Mudcats Squash Augusta Rally to Take Series Lead
NORTH AUGUSTA, SC – The Carolina Mudcats (10-2) lost an early three-run lead Thursday night at SRP Park, but a late surge in the eighth coupled with clutch pitching was enough to push them past the Augusta GreenJackets (6-6) for a 4-3 victory. With the win, Carolina has now stretched