BRADENTON, Fla. -- A year ago, Bubba Chandler might have reacted to a rough outing a little differently, with his frustration resulting in a handful of colorful words or perhaps a less-than-gentle interaction with a dugout object.
These days, though, MLB’s No. 11 prospect has the benefit of hindsight and maturity, coupled with a pretty secure roster spot to lean on while he ramps up for the 2026 season. Yes, throwing strikes is important, but what really matters most about Spring Training isn’t the stats, it’s coming out healthy on the other side of it.
“There was a lot of good behind the scenes, and what I wanted to accomplish, I did,” Chandler said after the Pirates’ 6-2 loss to the Yankees at LECOM Park on Monday. “Unfortunately, it didn't end the way I wanted to, and I walked people. Again, I was efficient in the way I wanted to be, not how you should be. But everything I was throwing today that I wanted to execute, I did.”
In that respect, Chandler -- who threw 35 pitches (14 strikes) across his 1 2/3-inning spring debut -- left the mound satisfied. On paper, the four walks he was responsible for were ugly. But between those lines sat a wipeout slider that Chandler dealt Seth Brown in the second inning, a triple-digit offering on the radar and a brutally efficient first frame.
Chandler’s fastball is his bread and butter, and because of that, his offspeed stuff usually takes some finessing once camp begins. The latter was crisp against New York, with his slider (0.6 mph), curveball (0.9) and changeup (0.9) each ticking up in velocity from last year.
The slider drew three called strikes.
Sure, Chandler’s just 23 years old, and he’s appeared in only seven Major League games. But a lot of young guys in the Pirates’ clubhouse right now are being thrust into crucial roles, and the benefit of perspective is key as they work to become leaders.
Chandler is mad because he knows he could have -- should have -- done better. But he’s also grateful to be able to say that whatever ailed him in his first Grapefruit League start is a one-off. No need for an outburst beforehand, either: He’s got enough experience now to sort of zen his way through the rough patches, shrug this one off and shift focus to prepare for his next turn.
“I'll probably go home tonight, watch the outing, assess what I did great and what I did bad,” Chandler said. “I know exactly what I did bad now, so I'm going to figure it out and fix it. It's a simple fix. It's going to be fixed literally overnight.”
After a couple of weeks’ worth of workouts, Chandler was amped to log some official action against New York, and it showed early on the LECOM Park radar. The right-hander induced a popout on his first pitch, hit triple digits on the radar two offerings later and averaged 96 mph across the eight pitches it took to sit down the Yankees in order.
Things didn’t go quite so smoothly for him in the second inning, when he needed 27 pitches and issued four walks before he was removed with two outs.
Before anyone gets excited, this is not the ghost of Triple-A Control Issues Past returning to haunt Chandler, who was tripped up during a two-month stretch that immediately preceded his Major League debut on Aug. 22.
“Just control there in that second inning got away from him, but [I was] happy with him coming out of it healthy, and the way the ball was coming out of his hand,” manager Don Kelly said. “The first start in Spring Training, it looked like he got a little amped up and adrenaline was going. He'll make the adjustment.”
If Chandler had been promoted before his command issues struck last June, would he have avoided them altogether? Or would they have instead marred a pretty spectacular big league audition?
Chandler isn’t one to second-guess the process any more than he is to question front-office decisions. He’s simply here to fine-tune his game and build up his pitch count for the 2026 regular season.
He’s also one to appreciate the journey. Battling command for two months in the Minors taught him how to find ways to succeed even without his best stuff, an invaluable tool now that he’s pitching at baseball’s highest level.
“I had a plan today that I wanted to execute, and I did,” Chandler said. “Sucks that the outcome is what it is. You never want to get pulled, and I definitely don't want to get pulled in the middle of an inning, but everything felt great. Arm feels good, body feels good. It's moving the way it needs to move.
“... A lot of the stuff I did in the offseason's coming to fruition, which is nice, and I'm excited to go back out there.”