Prospect Parade: The Best Stuff in AAA
Jacob Misiorowski, Bubba Chandler, Joe Boyle
Welcome to “Prospect Parade”, a series which aims to highlight any intriguing MiLB Prospect and Players.
This article will cover a trio of the best stuff arms in AAA.
Jacob Misiorowski - MIL
No prospect has been getting as much praise as Jacob Misiorowski over the past few weeks, and for good reason. The Brewers hard tossing righty is mowing through batters with a 31.4 K% while showcasing better command and incredible stuff throughout his arsenal, including a better feel for his changeup. His fastball sits in the upper 90s and he has dialed it up to 103 MPH on a whim. This ability to reach back and hit triple digits, when necessary, shows how much he has grown as a pitcher. His fastball also exhibits exceptional traits ranging from its above average ride from his low 5.3’ slot as well as its shallow -4.1° VAA. It has returned an elite 30.9 Whiff% while mitigating damage overall. His tendency to locate it high in the zone makes it extremely tricky for both LHH and RHH to barrel up.
The goodness doesn’t stop there with Misiorowski as he tosses a pair of breaking balls that are comfortable plus offerings. His slider is his go-to weapon against RHH where its 93 MPH velocity and slight cutting action helps it run away and live in the outer third. His curveball may be even better than his fastball thanks to its mid 80s velocity and sharp two-plane action. Its combination of depth and sweep makes it the perfect weapon to put away batters after he gets ahead with his fastball. He rounds out his arsenal with a changeup that he is still getting used to throwing in games. His feel for the pitch looks solid as he has done a commendable job at keeping low and away against LHH.
The biggest development for Misiorowski has been his improved strike throwing. His command, or lack thereof, held back his production and led to putrid BB% throughout his pro career. This season he lowered his walk rate to 10.1 BB% thanks to a solid 64.6 Strike%, which has allowed his stupendous stuff speak for itself.
Misiorowski is one of the most electric pitching prospects in baseball and has taken all the right steps to stick as a starter. Once he gets the call, he has the stuff to be a dominant force from the get go.
Bubba Chandler - PIT
Bubba Chandler has climbed his way to the top of the pitching prospects ranks with his dominant performance in AAA this season. He is running a 2.17 ERA backed by a 26.3 K-BB% while showcasing elite stuff and a true starter’s mix. His fastball is arguably the best pitch in MiLB. It sits at 97-99 MPH with elite ride from his 5.9’ slot and has returned a laughable 40.4 Whiff%. He keeps it up and away against RHH and high and inside vs LHH.
What sets Chandler apart from other pitching prospects is his changeup. He showed phenomenal growth with the offering in 2024 and it continues to be a wicked weapon. Its sits at 92 MPH with 10” of both horizontal and vertical separation from his fastball. The most impressive aspect of the pitch is his feel and command for it. He consistently replicates its shape while painting it low in the zone against both LHH and RHH.
Chandler doesn’t have the most dominant breaking balls, however both his slider and curveball flash plus characteristics and give him more arrows in his quiver. His slider exhibits slight glove-side movement with minimal depth in the high 80s. It isn’t a great whiff generator, but his ability to fill the zone with the offering while ahead leads to weak swings. His curveball hovers in the mid 80s with similar horizontal action as his slider but more depth. He typically uses it early in the count to steal strikes.
Chandler is the complete package. A dominant fastball, strong secondaries, solid command, and extreme athleticism give him all the tools required to be a future frontline starter, and he should be the chance to show that off for Pittsburgh very soon.
Joe Boyle - TB
Although not a technically a prospect anymore, Joe Boyle only has 68.2 IP in MLB under his belt which makes him so close to being a prospect that he counts as one for this article. Boyle has always been a stuff artist. Since he started his pro career, he wielded a high 90s fastball and killer gyro slider that swifty put away batters and racked up strikeouts. It was never a question about how dominant his stuff would be, but rather how well he could command it. He posted BB% hovering around 20% throughout his MiLB career which led to extreme inconsistencies and concern that he would eventually transition to a relief role. Now on the Rays, Boyle revamped his offspeed pitch and is throwing more strikes than ever before.
His fastball and slider speak for themselves. Their blistering speed carries their effectiveness and has led to elite whiff rates this season. It’s his splitter that I want to focus on. A new addition to his arsenal this year, his splitter is more accurately classified as a “splinker”, since it is a mix between a splitter and a sinker. Digging deeper into the characteristics helps us better understand why it could be the key for Boyle to stick as a starter. It sits 92-94 MPH with 3” iVB and 16” HB. In a vacuum this shape is fascinating because Boyle is able to generate a ton of depth on the pitch from his lower 3/4 slot at a 6’ release height. Also, this shape plays well off his fastball thanks to the deviation in movement. The reason why this pitch is a game changer for Boyle is how he uses it against LHH. He dials up its usage when ahead in the count, especially with 2 strikes. It is quite surprising how well he commands the pitch given his innate command issues. He locates the offering low and away which leads to plenty of chases and even more whiffs.
Boyle is a boom-bust arm that looks to be raising his floor with each start in AAA. He is throwing more strikes and has a true offspeed pitch to better tackle LHH. The Rays rotation is jam packed with talent right now, but Boyle has all the tools to slot in when he gets the call.
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