Entering the 2022 season, how the Pirates were going to handle Bubba Chandler was one of the more interesting headlines. Drafted as a two-way player, the team was planning on letting their third round pick from 2021 try his hand at both hitting and pitching in the minors.
They finally worked him into a routine that saw him take off for two days around any time he’d pitch, and then DH the rest.
Hitters in the Florida Complex League, his first stop in pro ball, proved no match for Chandler the pitcher, blowing them away with a fastball he could touch the upper 90s with.