Bubba Chandler and Konnor Griffin met for round 2 in a live batting practice setting today, and more swings were involved this time around.
Griffin, as well as Esmerlyn Valdez, weren’t shying away from letting those swings fly. But Chandler wasn’t just lobbing pitches in there. A pitcher who generated a well above average whiff rate (30.3%) in a short major-league stint late last year, Chandler had his swing-and-miss stuff working against two coveted prospects.
I only observed one at-bat for each of them, but Valdez swung through two pitches -- a slider down and a fastball up in the zone. Each one generated “oohs and ahhs” from the handful of fans who paused to watch Chandler at work.
Griffin swung over two sliders and was put away with a fastball he was late on. The latter pitch was the most impressive of the bunch, at least to me. If that were a regular game situation, Chandler could have went back to the breaking ball in an 0-2 count in an attempt to generate another whiff. Instead, he challenged him with the heater and just dared him to hit it.
That's part of what makes Chandler, and a lot of these young Pirates pitchers, so good. They might lack significant big-league experience, but they're not pitching with fear. In Chandler's case, when all of his pitches are working and he's maintaining solid command, he's dangerous. He proved that late last year when he struck out 31 batters and walked just four in 31 1/3 innings. It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows. There will be inevitable learning lessons both this spring and during the regular season. But Chandler is among the best pitching prospects in baseball for a reason. And he's bound to have a significant role within the Pirates' starting rotation in 2026.
THE ASYLUM
Chandler’s swing-and-miss stuff on display
Bubba Chandler and Konnor Griffin met for round 2 in a live batting practice setting today, and more swings were involved this time around.
Griffin, as well as Esmerlyn Valdez, weren’t shying away from letting those swings fly. But Chandler wasn’t just lobbing pitches in there. A pitcher who generated a well above average whiff rate (30.3%) in a short major-league stint late last year, Chandler had his swing-and-miss stuff working against two coveted prospects.
I only observed one at-bat for each of them, but Valdez swung through two pitches -- a slider down and a fastball up in the zone. Each one generated “oohs and ahhs” from the handful of fans who paused to watch Chandler at work.
Griffin swung over two sliders and was put away with a fastball he was late on. The latter pitch was the most impressive of the bunch, at least to me. If that were a regular game situation, Chandler could have went back to the breaking ball in an 0-2 count in an attempt to generate another whiff. Instead, he challenged him with the heater and just dared him to hit it.
That's part of what makes Chandler, and a lot of these young Pirates pitchers, so good. They might lack significant big-league experience, but they're not pitching with fear. In Chandler's case, when all of his pitches are working and he's maintaining solid command, he's dangerous. He proved that late last year when he struck out 31 batters and walked just four in 31 1/3 innings. It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows. There will be inevitable learning lessons both this spring and during the regular season. But Chandler is among the best pitching prospects in baseball for a reason. And he's bound to have a significant role within the Pirates' starting rotation in 2026.
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