Bubba Chandler

Roy Ruben Chandler

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
• High School North Oconee High School

• Born September 14, 2002 in Lawrenceville, GA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Bubba Chandler was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 3rd round of the 2021 amateur draft, out of a high school in Georgia where he was a two-way players, playing shortstop and pitching.

He played his first season as a pro as a position player, seeing time at both shortstop and DH for the FCL Pirates Black in 2021. He hit just .167 in 11 games and starting in 2022 was used as a pitcher in addition to DH'ing. In 46 games between the FCL Pirates and Bradenton Marauders of the Florida State League, he hit .196/.331/.382, with 4 homers and 17 RBIs, but it was as a pitcher that he stood out, going 1-1, 2.61 in 14 games, including 11 starts. He allowed just 23 hits in 41 1/3 innings, walked 28 batters, and struck out 60, a sign that he had overpowering stuff but was still struggling to control it. In 2023, he was exclusively a pitcher, and went 10-4, 4.54 in 25 starts between the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the South Atlantic League and the Altoona Curve of the Eastern League. He only made one start in AA, but it was a really good one as he allowed just one hit in 5 innings, walked none and struck out 8. Overall, he pitched 111 innings and struck out 128 batters against 50 walks.

In 2024 he took over as the Pirates' top-ranked prospect when pitchers Paul Skenes and Jared Jones were promoted to the big league team and stuck around long enough to grow out of the prospect designation. For his part, he was assigned to AA, where he was still much younger than the average player in AA, and continued to pitch well, earning a trip to the 2024 Futures Game as part of the National League team.