BRADENTON, Fla. — Bubba Chandler doesn't carry himself like someone facing an enormous challenge.
Tufts of hair emerging from his hat portend a mullet Chandler's trying to regrow, a laugh-inducing hairstyle he considers part of his "identity." There's also the outline of a mustache that may or may not witness the Bogart, Ga., native's PNC Park debut in a few years.
"I'm not really blessed with facial hair," the good-natured Chandler said at Pirate City earlier this week. "We'll get there one day. Give me a few years."
There are also running jokes among Chandler's roommates, Henry Davis and Anthony Solometo, regarding Chandler's ability to load a dishwasher or locate the hamper, but that's about where the humor ends.
Frat-boy persona or not, the 19-year-old Chandler is very much a grownup at work, carrying responsibilities not entrusted to roughly 99% of MLB players, as he seeks to make it as both a regular shortstop and pitcher. Although Chandler remains plenty raw on both fronts, the early returns have been encouraging.
"I'm leaving Bubba a lot of runway to show us what he can do," Pirates minor league hitting coordinator Jonny Tucker said. "I'm looking at him being [Angels two-way sensation] Shohei Ohtani. Obviously not literally but figuratively; if he can do it, why can't you? And giving [Chandler] that belief until it's not a possibility."
Before a larger discussion on Chandler's development, the third-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft did offer an interesting nugget on what ultimately led to his decision to sign with the Pirates for $3 million, which was way above slot for the 72nd overall pick ($870,700).
Besides targeting a bonus big enough to forgo his commitment to Clemson for football — hardly a unique move with MLB draft leverage — Chandler said his agent used the two-way opportunity as a negotiating tactic.
If the Pirates offered a legitimate chance to pitch and hit, they'd have a better chance of landing a player who has already become their eighth-best prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
"I came in thinking I was gonna have the opportunity," Chandler said. "They gave it to me gracefully. I feel like I've done my part to show that I can actually do that. It's a long season. We'll see how it goes, but I love playing ball."
Time-management has already proven to be Chandler's biggest challenge as a two-way hopeful. Last fall, Chandler talked about feeling run down — and not just because it was the end of a season.
To combat the fatigue, the Pirates and Chandler worked together to build more rest into his weekly routine. He also began to better leverage some of the recovery options offered in pro sports. Drills were manipulated to the point where Chandler would long toss while fielding grounders. Efficiency became paramount.
Next came the challenge of professional hitting and pitching, both forcing Chandler to adjust and seek self-improvement.
"I feel like I've gotten a lot better, especially with the glove," Chandler said. "Bat still needs a little bit of time. That's why we're here. Excited for it."
The biggest focal point for Chandler at the plate has been using his lower half more. When it happens, he can hit the ball a long way, as he did with tape-measure job off the batting cages beyond the left-field fence here on Monday.
When Chandler locks off his legs and hips, he's noticeably upright and seemingly susceptible to breaking stuff away.
The good news for the Pirates is that one area where Chandler has really grown is understanding how his body moves, whether that's as a pitcher or hitter.
"Like many of our younger players, he needs more experience and more opportunity to play, then we can have a better understanding of who he is," Tucker said.
Chandler obviously has a live arm, and scouts have applied a 60-grade to his fastball, which touches 97 mph. His curveball (55 grade) isn't far behind. The X-factor may actually be Chandler's slider, which has been one of the biggest points of emphasis during mound work.
The pitch is hard, typically around the mid-80s, but that still represents a 10-to-12 mph drop from his fastball. Challenging for Chandler has been finding a consistent rhythm and avoiding "cement mixers" — misfires that spin, don't break and are often crushed.
"Need to eliminate those, but whenever I do find that right rhythm, it's a plus pitch," Chandler said.
There's time to figure it out and plenty of fun to have along the way. After all, as talented and athletic as Chandler can be on a baseball field, his light-hearted demeanor off of it should serve him well during a journey that's sure to have a bunch of ups and downs.
"He certainly has a harder path for himself," Tucker said. "Switch hitter, shortstop, starting pitcher. Doesn't get much harder than that.
"But once again, the fact that he's even putting himself in this position is a testament to how athletic and skilled he is."
