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- Bubba Chandler Hits 101.5 mph
Bubba Chandler Hits 101.5 mph
Plus: Spencer Jones blasts two homers, Zyhir Hope flirts with the cycle and more.
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Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates: Chandler has been kept to a pretty strict pitch limit so far this year for Triple-A Indianapolis, as he's yet to throw more than 61 pitches in a start. But given the limited parameters of how long he's allowed to work, he's been dominant. Chandler has always had a quality fastball, but he touched 101.5 mph on Sunday and had three other pitches that topped 100 mph. Chandler hadn't touched triple digits in 2023 or 2024, now he's thrown the hardest pitch by a starting pitcher in Triple-A or MLB this year, equalling Hunter Greene's top velocity. Chandler is 0-0, 1.69 with a 46.1% strikeout percentage. Chandler made one mistake on Sunday, as two pitches after his 101.5 mph strikeout pitch, Ivan Johnson went the opposite way to just clear the left field fence for a two-run homer.
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians: Bazzana went 2-for-4 with his third triple in the past four games on Sunday for Double-A Akron. That odd run of triples means that Bazzana is tied with teammate C.J. Kayfus and Rochester's Drew Millas for the MiLB lead with three triples. No MLB hitter has more than two despite having played a bit longer this season. Bazzana's Sunday triple was a pretty straightforward one. He ripped a ball into the right field corner and sped out of the box. His triples on Thursdays and Saturday relied in part on outfielders' unsuccessful dives.
Zyhir Hope, OF, Dodgers: Hope had a massive game in High-A Great Lakes’ wild 12-11 loss to Lansing. Hope went 4-for-7 with a pair of doubles and a triple. He fell a home run short of the cycle. It was a bit of a feast or famine day, as Hope also struck out three times. He's hitting .400/.488/.714 with six extra-base hits in nine games.
Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees: Jones had his best day of the young season on Sunday for Double-A Somerset, hitting a pair of home runs as part of a three-hit day. He also stole a base and drove in four runs. Jones homered off of batter's eye in center field against Charles King in the seventh inning, and then yanked a ball over the right field fence in the ninth against Wesley Moore. That was the first homer Jones has hit against a lefty this season. Jones is off to an excellent start, as he's now hitting .290/.421/.613. Unfortunately for Jones, his strikeout rate remains quite high, as he's sporting a 36.8% strikeout rate.
Luis Peña, SS, Brewers: Peña stole three bases on Sunday as part of a 2-for-5 day for Low-A Carolina. Peña now ranks third in the minors in steals, with 10 steals in 12 tries. Peña has also strung together an eight-game hit streak to start the season. He's hitting .343/.442/.400 with six walks and just four strikeouts in 43 plate appearances.
Hit the link below to see additional updates on C.J. Kayfus, Noah Cameron and Kendall George, plus updated stats from the weekend.
Editor’s Picks
10 Statcast Standouts: Every Monday morning, we’ll highlight 10 players who stood out to us based on their underlying Statcast metrics. Data will usually be through Saturday of that week, but may include some data from Sunday games. These are not full scouting reports, but often serve as good early indicators of prospects who might be ready to break out or are demonstrating MLB-ready skills.
This week we discussed:
A Brewers slugger with improbable Triple-A data
One of Matt Eddy’s 2025 Breakout Prospects
A Rays pitcher defying Stuff models
Standout data for a trio of Top 100 Prospects
A pair of Mets fireballers in the low minors
Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day
Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.
Rodney Green Jr., OF, Athletics: Green Jr., whom the A’s chose in the fourth round last July, spent the week leading up to his 22nd birthday by beating the stitches off of more than a few baseballs. He notched at least one hit in all six of his team’s games with Great Lakes, including two-hit games on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The hot stretch countered an ice-cold opening three-game series that saw him go 0-for-12 against Fort Wayne. He swatted four home runs against the Loons, including a pair of long balls in the first game and single homers in each of the last two games. His home run on Sunday was a doozy. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Green connected on an 0-2 breaking ball for a game-tying grand slam. Three innings later, Lansing erased another two-run Great Lakes edge and took the series finale.
Quick Hits
Prospect news and notes from around baseball…
The Red Sox placed RHP Richard Fitts on the injured list with a right pectoral strain
The A’s optioned RHP AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A
Royals 1B Jac Caglianone hit another homer on Sunday
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