{"id":96927,"date":"2025-03-06T17:07:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T22:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=96927"},"modified":"2025-03-06T17:07:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T22:07:21","slug":"pirates-spring-breakout-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/03\/06\/pirates-spring-breakout-roster\/","title":{"rendered":"Prominent Prospects Highlight Pirates\u2019 Spring Break Roster with Surprising Exclusions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced their roster for the 2025 Spring Breakout Game, and it\u2019s bound to stir some debate. This time, the Pirates prospects will face the Philadelphia Phillies prospects. The game will be played on Friday, March 14, at 1:05 PM at BayCare Ballpark, the Phillies spring training home in Clearwater<\/a>, Florida.<\/p>\n

Pirates Spring Breakout Game Roster: Who\u2019s On, Who\u2019s Off<\/h3>\n

The Pirates 2025 Spring Breakout Game won\u2019t be the event that the 2024 game<\/a> was. Last year, the opponent was the Baltimore Orioles prospects. The game<\/a> was played in prime time, as baseball fans anticipated the matchup between Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes<\/a> and Orioles phenom Jackson Holliday<\/a>. The 2025 game promises no such marquee matchups but should be attractive to Pirates fans nonetheless.<\/p>\n

The Top Prospect<\/h3>\n

The most prominent name on the roster is the Pirates No. 1 prospect, six-foot-three, 218-pound right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler<\/a>. Born Roy Ruben Chandler, the 22-year-old was the Pirates third-round pick<\/a> in the 2021 June Amateur Draft out of North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia. The same high school produced another highly touted prospect<\/a>, right-hander Kumar Rocker<\/a> of the Texas Rangers. Originally drafted as a shortstop\/pitcher, Chandler decided to concentrate on pitching after the 2021 season Florida Complex League season, when he found hitting complex and went 5-for-30.<\/p>\n

It was a good decision by Chandler, who\u2019s expected to arrive in the majors this season. His fastball averages 96.7 mph and reached as high as 99 mph in 2024. He\u2019s added an impressive arsenal of secondary pitches with a slider, changeup, and curveball. In three seasons of pitching at various minor league levels, Chandler is 21-12 with a 3.61 ERA, 1.224 WHIP, and 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings (SO\/9). Last year at Double-A Altoona, he was only 6-7 with a 3.70 ERA. But his 1.008 WHIP suggested he was more dominant than the numbers showed. He soon found himself at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he flourished. There, he was 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA, 1.042 WHIP, and 12.4 SO\/9 in seven games.<\/p>\n

Chandler is with the Pirates in spring training camp, but the baseball gods have been unkind so far. On Monday, he was the losing pitcher against the Yankees when he gave up four runs in one-third of an inning. That outing ballooned his spring ERA to 19.29 in 2 1\/3 innings. Even so, and despite no formal announcement having been made, it\u2019s hard to believe anybody but Chandler would be the starter for the Pirates prospects in the Spring Breakout Game.<\/p>\n

The Five-Tool Teen<\/h3>\n

All eyes should also be on the Pirates No. 2 prospect, Konnor Griffin. The six-foot-four, 225-pound right-handed batter was the Pirates No. 1 draft pick<\/a> (ninth overall) in 2024 out of Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Mississippi. Whatever preparation they do at Jackson Preparatory, Griffin certainly looks prepared for a fine baseball career. The 18-year-old was given a look-see with the Pirates before being reassigned, as expected, to the minor league camp.<\/p>\n

Drafted as a shortstop\/outfielder, as a pro Griffin will be a center fielder, which he prefers. In his brief appearances in the spring training games, he impressed<\/a> with his speed and power. Last Saturday, he crushed an opposite-field home run off the Orioles Brandon Young<\/a>. He\u2019s an interesting inclusion on the roster after being fresh out of high school. However, based on what we saw in the spring games, he won\u2019t be intimidated facing more-experienced players.<\/p>\n