Pirates 2021 Round 3 pick bio in brief: RHP Bubba Chandler

Chris Adamski
Monday, July 12, 2021 2:35 p.m. | Monday, July 12, 2021 2:35 p.m.

Joshua L. Jones | Athens Banner-Herald

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected North Oconee High School’s Bubba Chandler with the 72nd pick of the 2021 MLB draft.

Bubba Chandler

72^nd overall, Round 3

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds

Bats/throws: Switch/Right

School: North Oconee HS, Bogart, Ga.

Age/DOB: 18 (Sept. 14, 2002)

Some scouts believe Bubba Chandler is a first-round talent as a position player *and* as a pitcher.

Oh, yeah, and he's committed to Clemson to play ... quarterback.

One of the risers in today's Stock Watch: https://t.co/VV6ys5pPav pic.twitter.com/OtZQlEZoFn

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 8, 2021

Scouting report: Committed to Clemson as a quarterback in football and to play baseball. … Rated as the country’s 19^th-best quarterback recruit by 247 Sports. … Baseball America rated Chandler the No. 20 overall prospect, the eighth-best high school prospect and third-best high school pitching prospect. … MLB.com rated Chandler No. 21 overall, No. 13 among high schoolers and fourth among high school pitchers. … As with any big-time recruit for another sport, signability likely is why Chandler fell into the third round. … Also considered a draftable hitter, and he played shortstop. … According to MLB.com, Chandler’s fastball velocity has increased to 92-95 mph on average and can peak at 97 mph. … Chandler also has a curveball that has been tracked with a high spin rate. He throws a changeup, too. … Scouting services see upside because he hasn’t focused exclusively on baseball and his mechanics therefore could use polish. … In addition to baseball and football, Chandler is a standout in basketball with enough athleticism to windmill dunk. … Chandler helped lead North Oconee baseball to a 31-6 record and Georgia’s state Class 4A baseball semifinals.

3 (72): @Pirates select North Oconee HS (GA) P Bubba Chandler. https://t.co/2EUPGRG5ki #MLBDraft

— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) July 12, 2021

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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.