The top pitching prospect in baseball is now a Bucco.
Right-hander Bubba Chandler was called up by the Pirates on Wednesday ahead of their three-game series against the Blue Jays, which starts on Friday.
Chandler has a 4.05 ERA this season in Triple-A Indianapolis, along with a 5-6 record, but is still listed as the majors’ best pitching prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
His 121 strikeouts are the most in the International League.
The righty is expected to work out of the bullpen once he arrives in Pittsburgh, a similar move that the Pirates used with Braxton Ashcraft when he was called up earlier this year.
“Just getting him up here in the big leagues and getting him in that role,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said about the callup, according to the Associated Press. “You saw Ashcraft really thrive in it. He got his feet wet in the bullpen, had some really big outings. … He’s bounced around, done some different things, starting and being in the pen.
“To have [Chandler] in a situation like that, can go out in the pen and work on things at the big league level and be here to learn from the guys up here, and learn from the staff, the players and get feedback from major league meetings. It’s really, really important for him and for us.”
Ashcroft was in a similar position as Chandler coming out of Triple-A and he has gone 3-2 and posted a 3.02 ERA in 19 appearances.
Ashcroft, who played with Chandler in Double-A and Triple-A, expressed excitement for the right-hander to be joining him in the big leagues.
“It’s cool to see guys ascend into the pitchers that they aspire to be,” he said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I think that in that situation, there’s a lot of emotions. There was for me. But ultimately it’s just about the opportunity. I fully expect Bubba to be confident in that, excel in that role knowing that the end goal is to be a starting pitcher.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
