Chandler dominates, K's 11 in Circle City debut

Bubba Chandler pumped his hand in excitement and yelled joyously as the final out of his second start for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians ended on Friday night.

For the second consecutive start, the Pirates' No. 1 prospect dazzled with his new team, tossing six scoreless innings and tying his career high by striking out 11 batters. It was the first time the 21-year-old pitched in front of the home crowd at Victory Field and it laid the foundation for a 3-2 win over the St. Paul Saints.

His numbers were some of the best of the night around Triple-A. He recorded 16 swings-and-misses and threw the fastest pitch of any starter at 99.3 mph. MLB’s No. 41 prospect has yet to allow a run in 13 frames, notching 17 punchouts.

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Chandler has been brilliant since being promoted from Double-A on Aug. 8, but it’s all come with the proper adjustments. The Pirates' 2021 third-rounder has noted that the experience hitters carry in Triple-A has challenged him to be more effective with his pitches.

“It’s like a chess game,” Chandler said. “Really focusing on every single pitch that you throw is something that I want to get used to. After these outings, I'm more tired than I normally would be, just from the fact that these guys are really good players. Each pitch means something.”

The hard-throwing right-hander -- whose 37 fastballs all clocked in at least 95 mph -- cruised through the start early, at one point striking out five of six batters through the second and third innings. But the young pitcher faced some adversity just as his night was ending.

Chandler had runners on first and second after issuing a hit and walk to begin the sixth inning. A groundball ended up putting both runners in scoring position with one out. Chandler escaped the jam by striking out the next batter and getting the final out on a slow roller to first base, which caused his excitement to come out as he was walking off the mound.

“The fifth and sixth innings were a grind for me,” Chandler said. “The name of the game is to win. And however I can contribute to that means a lot to me.”

Pitching prospects in the Pirates system have some lofty goals to reach after Paul Skenes’ arrival has been nothing but electric, earning him NL All-Star Game starter honors. But so far, Chandler has been following up quite nicely.

“There is no second opportunity to have a strong first impression,” Indianapolis manager Miguel Perez said in Spanish. “Bubba has created a good first impression. He’s not afraid to throw strikes. He knows he has good stuff and he is determined. There is meaning behind every pitch and he doesn’t run from contact. That’s what makes him special.”

Put on for the Circle City. ✊ pic.twitter.com/FdHJ6Whh83

— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) August 17, 2024

Perez worked with Skenes before his ascent and has now been impressed by what Chandler has brought to the mound. While the two pitchers have different personalities and pitching styles, Perez notes one important similarity between the two is their competitiveness.

Chandler isn’t thinking ahead to what the future could look like in Pittsburgh. As excited as he is to be with Skenes and Jared Jones -- both of whom he considers good friends -- he wants to focus on fine-tuning his work before leaping to the next level.

Regardless, the glimpse into the future of the Pirates' starting rotation is bright, and at this rate, it could come sooner than later.

“We’re going to be in a good spot with all these players,” Perez said in Spanish. “It’s going to be exciting to see because there is going to be a lot of special moments that [will] be created with this pitching staff.”