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.
Toolshed: Recent noteworthy FSL seasons
This space started honoring the short-season leagues after their respective campaigns were delayed in June. Now, following the cancellation of all Minor League Baseball in 2020, we're turning it into an appreciation of the full-season circuits as well. So Toolshed is revisiting the 10 most notable individual seasons put together
Florida State League Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2020
July 22, 2020 Vero Beach, Florida — Florida State League President, Terry Reynolds, has announced the 2020 inductee class for enshrinement into the Florida State League Hall of Fame. “Our 2020 class is one of the most decorated in our Hall of Fame history. The class includes one former and
2020 Minor League Baseball season shelved
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Major League Baseball™ (MLB™) has informed Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) that it will not be providing its affiliated Minor League teams with players for the 2020 season. As a result, there will not be a Minor League Baseball season in 2020. "These are unprecedented times for
Did you know? Florida State League edition
When it comes to size, scope and longevity, few, if any, sporting bodies can rival Minor League Baseball. With 160 teams in nearly as many markets, there are innumerable nooks and crannies to explore. This marks the eighth installment in a 14-part series dedicated to such explorations, providing one unique,
FSL announces Covid-19 relief efforts in all cities
Today the Florida State League announced that all its member teams will be participating in a League wide effort to support Covid-19 relief. The 12 teams have partnered with LiveSource to set up an auction site that will make bidding for auction items a simple and efficient process. The collectible
Mussels come up mighty during COVID-19 testing
FORT MYERS, Florida -- Things were finally starting to get back to a semblance of normal for general manager Judd Loveland and employees of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. After a month of working from home due to the statewide shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, Loveland began going back into
Florida State League All-Star Game cancelled
The Florida State League announced today that the 2020 Florida State League All-Star Game, hosted by the Daytona Tortugas and scheduled for June 23 at Historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
A message from Pat O'Conner
March 13, 2020Dear Minor League Baseball Fans,As you may be aware, with the closure of Spring Training camps in Arizona and Florida in response to the coronavirus outbreak across the country, the Minor League Baseball season will not start on April 9 as planned.
Florida State League statement on coronavirus outbreak
Florida State League President Terry Reynolds said "The FSL will be following the guidelines as outlined in the statement issued by MiLB and as we receive additional guidance we will provide it to our fans."
Florida State League Hall of Fame Event and Fall Meetings coming to Jupiter in October
The Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals will serve as hosts for the 2020 Florida State League Fall Meetings & Hall of Fame Dinner. This will be the first time West Palm Beach hosts the distinguished meetings after Clearwater served as the hosting site since 2015.The League Fall Meetings will
Florida State League launches new logo
Clearwater, Fla. -- On Thursday, the Florida State League released a new look for the circuit as it enters its 101st year.The new Florida State League logo features a baseball sunburst over a silhouette of the Sunshine State in colors that are frequently associated with Florida and was created by
Miracle morph into the Mighty Mussels
After 28 seasons as the Miracle, Fort Myers' Florida State League team is coming out of its shell. The Mighty Mussels have washed ashore. The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels name was unveiled to the public during a ballpark news conference Tuesday morning, alongside a logo set featuring the titular brawny bivalves
Twins' Costello found dead in New Zealand
Minnesota Twins infield prospect Ryan Costello died overnight in Auckland, New Zealand, his Australian Baseball League team announced early Monday. He was 23.
Reynolds named FSL President
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Florida State League today announced longtime baseball executive Terry Reynolds will become the league's new president on Jan. 1, 2020. Reynolds will take over for retiring league president Ken Carson, who ran the league for the past five seasons.Reynolds, who has served as special assistant to
Larnach caps season with Twins' honor
Trevor Larnach burned his way through two Minor League levels in his first full professional season, capturing midseason and end-of-season All-Star recognition as well as the Florida State League's MVP award. With the campaign in the books, he added to his haul Sunday.The Twins named MLB.com's No. 78 overall prospect their 2019
FSL announces 2019 executive awards
CLEARWATER, Florida -- Florida State League President Ken Carson and the FSL Awards Committee today announced the winners of the 2019 Florida State League Annual Awards.CHUCK MURPHY EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR: Andrew Seymour, General Manager of the Palm Beach Cardinals, has been named the Executive of the Year Award winner
FSL cancels weekend series, 2019 playoffs
Florida State League President Ken Carson announced today that the Florida State League final weekend series and postseason will be canceled because of the threat of Hurricane Dorian's potential impact."This was a tough decision to make," said Carson. "The safety of our players, staff, umpires and fans are top priority
Larnach, Romero grab top FSL awards
The Florida State League may be known as a pitchers' league, but the biggest names on this year's list of honorees are reserved for those on the hitting side.Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach (Fort Myers) and Rays right-hander Tommy Romero (Charlotte) were named Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, as
Balazovic puts up five zeros for Miracle
Jordan Balazovic put an exclamation point on a breakout regular season.The fourth-ranked Twins prospect gave up two hits and struck out nine over five scoreless innings Wednesday, but Class A Advanced Fort Myers dropped a 2-1 decision to Dunedin in the first game of a doubleheader at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium.
Orimoloye Shell-Shocks the Tortugas with Two Home Runs in Win and Jimenez Records Second Save
Clearwater- Maximo Castillo had a strong beginning to the game allowing just two hits through the first two innings. The offense helped out in a big way with a Reggie Pruitt double to begin the game. A walk by Ryan Noda set the table for Demi Orimoloye. For the second
Late comeback falls short in 7-5 loss to Miracle
FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 21, 2019) - Wander Franco reached base four times and the Stone Crabs mounted a late comeback, but the Fort Myers Miracle held on for a 7-5 win at Hammond Stadium.With Charlotte (77-50, 42-19) trailing 7-3 entering the ninth inning, Zac Law singled to start the
Marauders' Swaggerty goes deep twice
Travis Swaggerty is having the best month of his career. The latest proof -- his first multi-homer game as a pro, which pushed Class A Advanced Bradenton past Lakeland, 3-2, on Saturday night at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium -- was the most emphatic power surge he's displayed since
Crabs' Franco posts season-high four hits
The top of the lineup was menacing for the Stone Crabs on Sunday afternoon, and Wander Franco was in the center of it all.MLB.com's top overall prospect notched his first four-hit game of the season and scored three times as Class A Advanced Charlotte romped past Tampa, 9-0, at George
Jays' Woods Richardson makes new home
Simeon Woods Richardson was in the car with his parents on the way to report to the Mets' Class A Advanced affiliate in Port St. Lucie -- ready for his promotion to the Florida State League -- when he got word from his agent that he should stay close to
Rays' Ryan notches career-high 13 K's
Joe Ryan wasn't just good on Wednesday afternoon. He was close to being perfect.The Rays' No. 16 prospect struck out a career-high 13 batters and allowed just one hit over seven innings before Class A Advanced Charlotte bested Bradenton, 2-0, in the eighth frame of a seven-inning game at Charlotte