The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a $3 million signing bonus, pending physical, to convince two-sport star Bubba Chandler to skip playing quarterback at Clemson and play professional baseball instead.
The Pirates selected Chandler, a right-handed pitcher and switch-hitting shortstop, in the third round of the MLB Draft with the intention of paying him more than the $870,000 slot value for the No. 72 pick. Chandler was ranked the No. 20 prospect by Baseball America, No. 21 by MLB Pipeline.
Let’s get to work ? https://t.co/aE5G6R9IrQ
— Bubba Chandler (@Bubbachandler_) July 12, 2021
The Pirates went $2,129,300 over slot, thanks to the savings on the under-slot signings of No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis, which saved $1,915,300, and sixth-rounder Mike Jarvis, which saved $307,900. That leaves the Pirates $1,521,500 remaining from their $14,394,000 draft pool to sign their Competitive Balance B round pick, Malvern Prep outfielder Lonnie White Jr., and their fourth-rounder, Vermont prep right-hander Owen Kellington. The slot value for White at the No. 64 pick is $1,050,300 and for Kellington at No. 102 is $571,400.
Chandler, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, was 8-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings and batted .411 with 12 doubles, eight home runs and 35 RBIs as a senior at North Oconee High School in Bogart, Ga. He also was a four-star quarterback recruit who passed for 1,842 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior, and he was poised to play both sports at Clemson.
Let’s get to work ? https://t.co/aE5G6R9IrQ
— Bubba Chandler (@Bubbachandler_) July 12, 2021
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, who was optimistic the Pirates could sign Chandler, said the club viewed him as a pitcher first but would also give him a look as an infielder.
“We really believe in his potential as a pitcher,” Cherington said last week. “Super athletic. Obviously strong. Really good arm speed. He’s already showing really good stuff. He’s a talented position player, too, and I do think we’ll explore that with him, at least initially in pro ball — give him a chance to play some infield, do some hitting. …
“We had a conversation with Bubba about that. It’s something that’s important to him. And he is legitimately talented on both sides, so we want to look at that and we do believe there’s a really big upside as a pitcher.”
Two-sport star Bubba Chandler set a @NOHS_Baseball single-game strikeout record last night.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 6, 2021
He struck out 17 batters in a one-hitter ?
We have him going in the top 15 in our latest mock draft: https://t.co/WW30inQNb3 pic.twitter.com/0OjjH3gWCo
Chandler has a fastball that has touched 97 mph and curveball with above-average spin but needs to work on his changeup. Scouts believe that concentrating on baseball full-time will expedite his development.
“He took a big step forward this year on the mound. He’s not focused solely on baseball ever,” said Jonathan Mayo, who covers the MLB Draft and the minor leagues for MLB.com. “What we’ve seen is the repeating delivery, throwing strikes, good arm action. It’s all an impressive package in a pitcher who’s also a switch hitter. We’re going to look back and say he should’ve gone in the mid-first.”
