Bubba Chandler’s passion for pitching has led him to adopt an interesting attitude toward his high walk rate: who cares?
The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander isn’t exactly carefree about issuing free passes at such a high rate, but he’s attempting to change his mentality to throw more strikes than balls.
Chandler believes he is “trying to do too much”. He admitted, “I’m pitching a little scared because I don’t want to walk people. That’s when you’re going to walk people.”
Chandler’s Walk Rate a Concern
Chandler’s 27 walks over eight starts are tied for third-most in MLB. Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez also has 27 walks, with Jack Flaherty of Detroit and Luis Severino of the A’s leading the way.
After allowing only four walks against 31 strikeouts in seven appearances last season, Chandler has had four or more walks in half of his eight starts this season. He has given up six walks in a game twice.
The Pirates are trying to impress upon Chandler that he can’t dwell on trying to avoid walks.
Staying Aggressive on the Mound
Pirates manager Don Kelly said: “You can’t do that. When you play this game, you can’t play a game of don’ts. That’s not the mindset that leads to success, in my opinion. When you start worrying about trying not to walk guys, you’re going to walk guys. It’s the mindset of staying aggressive, staying in the strike zone.”
Chandler’s four-seam fastball averages 98.5 mph, ranking in the 97th percentile. It has accounted for 16 of his 34 strikeouts this season. Opponents are hitting .206 against his heater, making it one of the most effective pitches in his arsenal.
Command has been a concern, despite Chandler hitting triple digits. He is throwing 64.7% first-pitch strikes, up from 58.9% last season.
Chandler is not interested in dialing back the velocity on his fastball to improve his control. He believes that the opposite is true and he’s better off.
“I’m just not being as aggressive as I want because I don’t want to walk people,” Chandler said. “Walks do score most of the time, and most of my runs have come after a walk. I have that in my head that I can’t walk people. I’m like, ‘Screw that. I’ve got to rip stuff.’”
Spring Training Troubles
Chandler’s concerns date back to his spring training debut. In his first Grapefruit League game against the New York Yankees on Feb. 23, Chandler admitted he was short on sleep and over-caffeinated.
He registered 100.6 mph on the radar gun, then decided to dial it back. He threw only 14 of his 35 pitches for strikes, allowing four walks and four runs in 1 2/3 innings.
“I was trying to be too perfect when, in reality, this is the most imperfect game there is,” Chandler said. “If I go out there and do my job, it’s going to look pretty good in the box score.”
Chandler’s 15.6% walk rate ranks near the bottom of baseball.