A former Clemson quarterback commitment is bringing serious heat in the minor leagues.

According to Baseball America, Bubba Chandler hit 101.5 mph on the radar gun Sunday during his start for the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

That marks the fastest pitch from a starting pitcher — MLB or Triple-A — this year, tying Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene, per Baseball America.

A former two-sport star at North Oconee High School (Bogart, Ga.), Chandler committed to Clemson as a quarterback in May 2020 before being selected by the Pirates in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft (No. 72 overall pick).

Rather than play football and baseball at Clemson, Chandler decided to pursue a future in professional baseball, and he ended up signing a big-money deal with the Pirates. After he was drafted, Pittsburgh reportedly signed him to a $3 million contract, more than triple the slot value for his third-round selection.

Chandler, 22, has since blossomed into one of baseball’s best pitching prospects – and top prospects regardless of position. The flamethrowing righthander is currently the fourth-best pitching prospect, and No. 14 overall prospect, according to MLB.com.

Between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024, Chandler posted a 3.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 148 strikeouts with only 81 hits allowed in 119.2 innings pitched across 26 games (23 starts).

Through three Triple-A starts so far this season, Chandler is sporting a 1.69 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. The 6-foot-3, 218-pounder has struck out 18 batters in 10.2 innings while yielding just four hits.

You can read Chandler’s MLB.com prospect bio below:

When the Pirates went over slot to sign Chandler in the third round of the 2021 Draft, they were banking on the athleticism that made him both a two-way player on the diamond and a two-sport standout who could have played football at Clemson. After hitting and pitching for a season, Chandler put the bat away for good and has developed into one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, reaching Triple-A in 2024 and serving notice that he’s ready to contribute to a big league rotation.

Chandler has rapidly evolved from an athlete and thrower to a complete pitcher with a real idea of how to use all four of his pitches effectively. It still starts with his elite-level fastball that averaged 96.7 mph and touched 99 in 2024, according to Synergy. It has impressive vertical break, his command of the pitch has improved and he holds the premium velocity deep into starts. The Pirates challenged Chandler to focus on the development of his secondary offerings, and he responded with a much-improved 86-87 mph slider and upper-80s changeup while still dropping in the occasional low-80s curve.

The athletic right-hander showed that he’s learned not to lean solely on his heater by throwing slider-changeup-slider to start out the first batter he faced in Triple-A. His strike-throwing continues to improve, and he has the chance to eventually have three plus pitches he can land in the zone. Honing his craft while working out with Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and fellow prospect Thomas Harrington will only help him reach his considerable ceiling. 

–Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images