Even though Konnor Griffin didn’t make the Pirates out of camp, it didn’t take long for him to make it to the Majors. Pittsburgh confirmed that Griffin, arguably the team’s top prospect, will be coming up this week, giving Bucs fans a chance to look at another potential face of the future.

A Look at Griffin

Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin was a potential 1-1 candidate two years ago in the MLB Draft. But in a college-heavy top-ten, Griffin slid down to #9, giving the Pirates a potential star position player prospect to pair with their pitching depth.

To say that Griffin stood out in the Minors last season would be an understatement. The 19-year-old started his pro career in Low-A Bradenton but didn’t last long there. Griffin hit .338 (.932 OPS) with the Marauders over 50 games, showcasing above-average pop and the ability to put the ball in play.

He did the same in High-A with Greensboro, and walked significantly more (12% BB%) with the Grasshoppers, as well. With Double-A Altoona, Griffin swung and missed a bit more but still performed very well. The youngster hit five home runs in 21 contests with Double-A Altoona. And as you can see below, his power extended to all fields.

All in all, Griffin hit 21 home runs and 48 extra-base hits last season in the Minors. Additionally, he had 65 stolen bases across all three Minor League affiliates.

This past spring, Griffin made a play to try to make the Pirates out of camp. It didn’t happen, as the 19-year-old didn’t have the strongest showing. Yes, he hit for power. However, he had a swing-and-miss rate over 35% in camp, and a lot of that was concentrated inside the zone and on fastballs.

Griffin played the first week of the year in Triple-A & did very well. The 19-year-old picked up seven hits, three of which were doubles, and also had three stolen bases over five contests.

In the small sample size, we saw more of what Griffin looked like last year, with a lower swing-and-miss rate (25.7% Whiff%) and more contact on fastballs (15.4% Whiff%). Also, a mix between aggressiveness and patience (27% Chase%).

Defensively, Griffin played some time in center field but spent the vast majority of his time at short. Showed the ability to cover ground with that speed, including to his left, which can be a problem for some shortstops. His ability in the field earned him a 2025 Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove award.

The Pirates confirmed the promotion of Konnor Griffin on April 2.

Analysis

Griffin is the definition of a five-tool player. Which is why Griffin was not only considered the best prospect in the Pirates’ system but also arguably the best youngster in all of Minor League Baseball.

At the age of 19, Griffin has shown the ability to affect a game in many different ways, whether it be through his power, speed, or glove. And after a strong week in Indianapolis, he’ll now have the opportunity to prove that he can do it at the highest of levels.

Obviously, there are ramifications for promoting Griffin now. The Pirates are giving Griffin a chance to accumulate a full year of service time, as a player only needs 172 days of service time per the existing CBA to receive a full season.

However, for a team that is in a compete-now position, given what contracts will come up in the future. After all, Paul Skenes will be arbitrating for the first time after 2026. Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna are on short-term deals, and there will be other young players (i.e., Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler) who will need to be dealt with in the near future.

Dressing the best possible team now is essential, since the Pirates may not have many shots with this particular group.

With Griffin, the Pirates will be getting a very good glove at short. And very likely, a more impactful bat.

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