PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Pirates have a number of young pitchers, including one who has emerged as a star lately.

Right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler of the Indianapolis Indians in Triple-A was named International Pitcher of the Week for his performance in the 6-0 road win over the Nashville Sounds on Friday night.

Chandler pitched 7.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one walk, and had six strikeouts in his first Triple-A start.

The Pirates recently assigned Chandler to the Indians, recalling him from Double-A Altoona Curve on August 8.

Chandler played for North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia, 60 miles east of Atlanta. He excelled in several sports, including basketball, golf, football and baseball. He originally planned to go to Georgia to play baseball, but he later decommitted and transferred to Clemson to play both football and baseball.

He had a fantastic final season for North Oconee, going 8-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched while batting .411 with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 35 RBIs.

The Pirates selected Chandler with the No. 72 overall pick in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft and signed him for a $3 million signing bonus, an above-slot commitment.

He was a pitcher and also played shortstop for the Rookie-level Florida Complex Pirates in 2021 and 2022 and then moved up to the Bradenton Marauders in the Single-A Florida State League.

Chandler focused on pitching during the 2023 season, where he would showcase his best talents. He started 24 games for the Greensboro Grasshoppers in High-A, posting a 9-4 record, 4.75 ERA in 106.0 innings pitched, 120 strikeouts with 51 walks, and a .265 batting average.

He only made it to Altoona for one game in 2023, allowing just one hit in five innings and getting the win.

Chandler has played all of 2024 in Double-A, starting 16 of 19 games, posting a record of 6-7, one save, one shutout. He also had a 3.70 ERA in 80.1 innings pitched, allowed 55 hits, 33 earned runs, and 26 walks, made 94 strikeouts, and held hitters to a .192 batting average, along with a 1.01 WHIP.

His last start was on August 2 against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, where he allowed just two hits and one run in 6.0 innings pitched and had six strikeouts in 80 pitches.

MLB Pipeline ranks Chandler as the No. 49 most promising prospect in baseball’s top 100, the No. 9 right-handed pitcher and the No. 12 pitcher. They also rank him as the Pirates’ most promising prospect.

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