Pirates taking a page out of Angels' book by promoting top prospect as a reliever

Fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates have been quite literally waiting all season for a Bubba Chandler call up, as he is viewed by many as the best pitching prospect in baseball. Well, he finally did get promoted...pop the champagne! Pirates fans have seen their team post a great record at PNC Park and a Cy Young caliber season from Paul Skenes...but not much else. Seeing Chandler get the call must have been exhilarating amidst another dreadful season from the Buckos, but that thrill unfortunately did not last all that long.

In theory, a rotation of Skenes, Chandler, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones (when healthy) and either Mike Burrows, Braxton Ashcraft, Johan Oviedo or Thomas Harrington is electric. However, Pirates fans will have to wait a little longer for that optimal rotation to form since Chandler will serve as a bulk reliever upon his arrival. Sound a little familiar, Angels fans?

Pirates taking a page out of Angels' book by promoting top prospect as a reliever

The Angels have come under a lot of fire by using top prospects like Caden Dana, Ryan Johnson and Sam Aldegheri as innings eaters out of the bullpen. Many claim that this is a horrendous way to develop pitchers, and the Angels might even agree given now that they stopped promoting those three and settled on Carson Fulmer as their full-time long reliever. The Angels gave an unprecedented long leash to Tyler Anderson and Jack Kochanowicz this season, despite that duo floundering time-and-time again and Dana, Johnson and Aldegheri being right there waiting in the wings.

Dana and Johnson were both shut down for a month due to arm fatigue. The Angels want to manage their workload, as the promising youngsters are unaccustomed to the rigors of a long season in the pros. They are trying to protect them from overuse, but not from trying their hand at an unfamiliar role at the highest level. Dana was promoted last season at 20-years-old, and Johnson before even throwing an inning in the minors.

The Pirates were the first team to fire their manager and they are once again one of the worst teams in baseball. Having Chandler serve as a long reliever does not make much sense for the non-contender, but organizations like the Pirates and Angels constantly defy logic.

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