‘GET ON BOARD’
Early success from big-league club has minor leaguers eager to join the party
ALTOONA, Pa. — Throughout spring training, during a regular Bible study, Bubba Chandler admits he and his teammates allowed their minds to wander off into the future.
Playing within an organization with numerous high-rated prospects, Chandler and his peers found themselves in an exciting time of their lives, just a few years — or less — away from achieving their lifelong goal of playing in the big leagues. But per Chandler, the dreaming doesn’t stop by simply reaching the show. When looking ahead, he and his fellow youngsters within the Pirates system have the highest of expectations.
“We talk about it a lot,” Chandler, who is rated a top-100 prospect by MLB Pipeline, said Tuesday during the media day for Double-A Altoona. “What it was going to look like here in three, four, five years, when we’re doing this same thing with a ring on our hand. We want to win a lot of games. That’s kinda our only goal, no matter how we do it.”
While the future remains a mystery, the 2024 season, in its infancy, has provided a crumb of the excitement Chandler and his pals fantasized about. And while the good times continue on the North Shore, those in the minor leagues have enjoyed the big-league club’s early success.
“You gotta get on board,” Curve manager Robby Hammock said. “Those guys are playing hard up there right now. It’s fun to watch. I had a chance to watch those games. They’re grinding out at- bats. They’re playing defense. They’re running bases. It’s been fun to watch. There’s no secret as to why they’re 5-0 because they’re going about their business. You watch that as a younger player coming up through this system. You better get on board or you’ll be left out.”
But it’s not just how the Pirates are winning but with whom they’re winning on the current roster.
Throughout the first week, the franchise has received numerous big-time performances from young, former highly-rated prospects who not long ago were also in the minor leagues. Knowing they could soon be involved in similar success serves as an ultimate motivator for the Curve players.
“It lights a fire under your butt because you want that to be you,” said pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, who is rated the Pirates’ No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline. “But it is important to recognize that they’ve had the same struggles and walk as all of us. They’ve been there, which is reassuring because it tells us that it’s achievable.”
For young arms such as Chandler and Ashcraft, the most impactful moment from the past week was the strong debut from Pirates rookie Jared Jones, who struck out 10 batters in his first big-league start Saturday against the Miami Marlins.
“I’m not in Jared’s draft class — he was a year before me — but I almost shed a tear when I saw him go out there,” Chandler said. “I know how hard he worked this offseason to be in that moment.”
“That was unbelievable,” Ashcraft added. “It’s invigorating, for sure.”
With the Pirates everyday lineup starting to fill with a handful of pieces that, as of now, look to be mainstays for years to come, starting pitching seems to be the final piece to the puzzle.
The club, of course, extended the staff’s ace, Mitch Keller, this spring, ensuring he will remain around. Other youthful arms such as Jones and top prospect Paul Skenes also figure to be a significant part of the equation.
But behind them sits the next wave. Players such as Chandler, Ashcraft and Anthony Solometo, another top-100 prospect, all look to be a valuable group of reinforcements that could, within the next few years, make the Pirates a true contender.
Make no mistake, plenty needs to happen before Chandler’s dream of him and his teammates hosting a Bible study with World Series rings can come to fruition. While their potential is tough to ignore, the entirety of the Pirates young standouts still have to go out and continue getting better.
Yet, as the journey continues, the big picture is never out of sight. Together, the high draft picks and notable prospect acquisitions of recent years aim to reach baseball’s top prize.
“It’s inspiring for the fact that those guys made it quick and they’re gonna stay there for a while,” Chandler said. “I just kinda want to join them and be teammates with them again. ... It doesn’t matter if we have any All-Stars or what we do, winning is the No. 1 thing, and I think we have a bunch of guys who want to do it.”