ARLINGTON, Texas -- It's not easy to be patient, especially when you're a 21-year-old kid.
Bubba Chandler is in the middle of his third full season as a professional, and earned the right alongside Termarr Johnson to represent the Pirates at the MLB All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field. Getting such an honor can be a lot for a young baseball player to handle. It's a big deal.
"It makes you feel great about yourself. When I got the call about it, I was super pumped up," Chandler told me Saturday afternoon. "It's an honor. Really enjoying the time being here. I know a lot of these guys, whether personally or just kind of known throughout baseball. But, met a lot of guys that I haven’t known. It’s been a great time, great for my family to come out here and get to enjoy Texas, which I love. It's great."
Chandler is doing all he can to soak in every moment during such an event. But he also knows why he's here. Initially a two-way prospect when he was drafted in 2021, Chandler made the permanent switch to pitcher last season and has become the top prospect in the organization, ranking currently No. 51 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100.
He's also currently riding a hot streak since the beginning of June. After starting his season at Class AA Altoona with an 8.74 ERA and 1.59 WHIP through the end of May, Chandler has posted a 1.80 ERA and 0.69 WHIP since. With the way the young pitching is taking over the the starting rotation and has become the strength of the big league club in Pittsburgh, this hot stretch and Futures Game nod has Chandler on the radar for many people when thinking about the future of the Pirates' rotation.
It also solidifies that pitching is what Chandler was meant to do.
"It’s ultimately what I wanted to do," Chandler said. "I really enjoy pitching. It's kind of like being a quarterback. You control the game, and that's something I like to do. It's hard, but I thoroughly enjoy it."
It's not been the easiest road for Chandler. He's an ultra-competitive guy. He's had to wait through the club's decision-making process when he was a two-way prospect. He's watched guys such as Jared Jones, who was also drafted out of high school just one year prior, sky rocket through the organization into a big-league debut. Last season, Jones logged only 44 1/3 innings at Altoona before getting called up to Class AAA Indianapolis. Chandler's already at 68 2/3 innings with Altoona and hasn't sniffed a Class AAA call up yet.
Chandler admitted to me that there have been times it can be frustrating, that he's felt he's just as capable of being a guy that can be put on the fast track to Pittsburgh. When the hype is high and the ultimate destination is a big-league call up, it's easy to fall into the trap of looking too far ahead.
"You want to make the big leagues any way you can," Chandler said. "I’d love to be up there as soon as possible, but whenever it is the right time."
That last part is the lesson Chandler's had to learn. Since he's been singularly focused on where he is now, he's turned things around, and it's produced the scorching-hot results over the past couple months. He's learned to take advantage of every little thing he can, whether it's during spring training or picking the brain of big-league pitchers such as Marco Gonzales when they stop by for a rehab assignment.
"I had 20 minutes to talk to (Marco)," Chandler said. "I learned a lot of stuff in those 20 minutes."
Yes, the getting to Pittsburgh is the ultimate destination. And, it's hard to not get excited when thinking about the possibility of Chandler joining the likes of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jones, building a starting rotation that can help the Pirates be competitive for several seasons. But he's seen the success the younger pitchers are having in Pittsburgh, and is using that as a baseline for trust that his time is coming, however long it takes.
"I want to help the club win, be one of five or six guys with our rotation," Chandler said. "Every guy up there has a purpose, not themselves but a purpose that's bigger than themselves. I’ll be pumped if my chance happens."
As for right now, Chandler showed what he's made of in the National League's 6-1 win in the Futures Game, pitching one scoreless inning with one strikeout.
