The way Bubba Chandler remembers it, the idea started with a random conversation in Altoona at the tail end of the 2023 season.
Paul Skenes had made two appearances for the Curve before the Pirates shut him down. Chandler pitched once. With a rare opportunity to decompress, their minds drifted toward something bigger.
Chandler and Skenes thought it would be incredible if the Pirates could deploy an entirely homegrown starting rotation, pitchers drafted or otherwise signed by the organization driving the return of winning baseball in Pittsburgh.
Although it would’ve been tough to predict all five names at the time, the scenario Chandler and Skenes conceptualized has actually come true. The surging Pirates are the only MLB team with an entirely homegrown rotation.
Along with Chandler (2021, third round) and Skenes (2023, first overall), Mitch Keller (2014, second round), Braxton Ashcraft (2018, second round) and Carmen Mlodzinski (2020, compensatory round) were all Pirates draft picks. So was Jared Jones (2020, second round), who will return in June and bolsters this argument in a big way.
It’s a point of pride for those who take the mound. It’s also a feather in the cap of the Pirates’ work identifying and developing really good pitchers.
“It’s special what the front office has done,” Chandler said. “All of these guys are really talented. They've definitely become some of my best friends.”
How the Pirates’ starting five has fares thus far has been impressive — though not surprising.
Entering Tuesday’s games, the homegrown bunch had 2.66 ERA, the best in the National League and No. 2 in MLB behind the Yankees (2.56). That’s also misleading after Skenes allowed five earned runs March 26 at Citi Field.
From March 27 onward, Pirates starters have a 2.12 ERA, by far the best in MLB; the Yankees are second at 2.76.
Coming up through the same system — including a few of these guys together — has been a huge benefit. They’ve met and exceeded the same checkpoints. Vision and terminology are the same. Many of the people, too. They know, and have sometimes set, the standards.
Mlodzinski remains close with Joe DelliCarri, the Pirates’ vice president of scouting, who was overseeing the amateur side when the right-hander was drafted out of the University of South Carolina.
Along with crediting DelliCarri for identifying “good, athletic pitchers,” Mlodzinski valued and appreciated what he learned within the Pirates’ pitching development system.
It helped him cultivate a process for learning and getting better that he keeps with him to this day. It’s the same for other Pirates starters.
“It definitely speaks to the organization,” Mlodzinski said. “It speaks to the step-by-step process of getting to the big leagues. We take pride in being a close-knit group, looking out for one another and trying to learn from each other.”
Chandler and Ashcraft spent time together at High-A Greensboro. The latter overlapped with Skenes and Chandler in Altoona. Keller has been a sounding board for everyone at the Major League level, the veteran of the bench. Mlodzinski was the first of the three Ben Cherington draft picks to debut.
It also could’ve been a six- or seven-man homegrown rotation had the Pirates not traded Mike Burrows this past offseason, but the remaining pitchers know baseball’s a business.
They’re just happy they’ve made it thus far and have truly enjoyed how close they’ve become.
“Everyone knows the system we all came up in,” Keller said. “They can relate to what we’ve been through, past experiences and what we’re trying to work for. Obviously philosophies change as you get new staffs and new coaches, but everyone has been working together.
“I followed all the guys in the Minors. It’s nice knowing who’s coming up instead of the team signing someone and nobody knowing their past or what they’ve gone through.”
If you spend time around the Pirates rotation, the closeness is easy to see.
It’s evident in the dugout, with the group cheering on that game’s starter. Whenever someone throws a bullpen, chances are there are several others there offering feedback and support, the same for pregame warmups.
Earlier this spring, when Jones faced hitters for the first time since internal brace surgery, Skenes remained by his side when something about the session seemed to irritate Jones.
Lastly, when Skenes exited his Opening Day start after two outs and 37 pitches thrown, he was greeted by several fellow starters who reaffirmed his belief that it was just one of those days — stuff was fine, shake it off and get the next one.
“We speak a similar language,” Skenes said. “It’s fun to be in the dugout with them and work with them. Probably partly because they’re homegrown, but also because they’re good dudes.”
That friendless extends to the golf course, where Keller, Chandler and Ashcraft play a bunch and Skenes’ interest has at least been piqued, enough that he can occasionally peel himself away from his regimented baseball work.
They go to dinner together. We also see plenty of clubhouse debriefs about the shapes of pitches, how a bullpen went or what one another might be feeling.
“It creates comfort and confidence, knowing we all came from relatively the same place,” Ashcraft said. “There’s definitely a sense of pride that we’ve put ourselves in this position.”
It also creates a bunch of competition — which this group loves.
If someone pitches well, the others are quick to celebrate and offer a pat on the back. But the next man up takes the mound with a simple goal: to raise the bar.
When you’re talking about pitchers with this level of pedigree and stuff, that’s certainly not a bad thing.
“Pitching behind Braxton, I want him to go out there and lay the blueprint,” Chandler said. “Show me something about these guys.”
“You’re always trying to one up the guy before you,” Ashcraft said. “We’ve been doing that for a few years. But being able to carry that over to the big leagues has been fun.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.