Konnor Griffin Shows Why Pirates Should Have Patience With Him
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PITTSBURGH — Konnor Griffin could be the best player for the Pittsburgh Pirates for years to come, but he's not quite there just yet.
Griffin showed flashes of his potential in the Pirates' 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres at PNC Park on April 7, putting together his first multi-hit game in the major leagues and playing some top-notch defense.
He had just one hit in his first 14 at-bats, but came through with two big singles that he would eventually score on in an important win for the Pirates.
The 19-year old is almost done with his first homestand and while it hasn't been perfect, he has shown why the Pirates gave him the starting shortstop role for the foreseeable future.
Finally Getting the Bat Going
Griffin broke his streak of 13 at-bats without a hit with a single in the bottom of the fifth inning, where he hit a slow roller, but beat out the throw from Padres third baseman Manny Machado, running 30.2 feet per second.
He then showed off his incredible speed again, scoring from first base on a hit from center fielder Oneil Cruz, sliding in head first and getting way ahead of the throw.
Griffin then had his best hit yet in the major leagues in the bottom of the eighth inning, with a single that he hit 113.2 mph, scoring two runs and making it a 6-1 ballgame.
It's hard when the best prospect in baseball isn't hitting as many expected him to, but Griffin showed that if he continues making starts and having those at-bats, that he'll have more of these types of hits as a rookie and going further into his career.
“Getting back to that has been great," Griffin said postgame. "I feel like I’m in there consistently. I feel like I’m getting the reps. I get to wake up everyday and know that I’m playing baseball. There’s just something about it. You just get in a good flow and the baseball player in me just comes out.”
Great Defense So Far
While Griffin's bat is still coming along, he's been fantastic on defense and proven the Pirates right in making him the everyday shortstop.
He already has 2+ defensive runs saved, tied for second-most of any shortstop that has playd at least 30 innings so far, according to Fangraphs.
Griffin has gotten this rating as he's shown range with his arm, made some backhanded throws, great dives and collaborated with both Brandon Lowe and Nick Gonzales at second base for some sensational double plays.
He won an MiLB Gold Glove Award at shortstop in 2025 and is already proving that he will get even better defensively at the major league level.
“Yeah. My defense is super important," Griffin said. "Playing shortstop is a big role and I want to take that on, like I want to be as clean as I can be on the defensive side and put my body on the line. I want to make the diving plays. Just try to get out for the pitchers. That’s super important to me. Just like offense is.”
Adjusting to MLB Pitching
Griffin was tremendous at the plate in the minor leagues, hitting 21 home runs and hitting above .300 at each of his three levels in 2025
He even continued this at Triple-A Indianapolis for five games before his MLB debut, slashing .438/.571/.625 for an OPS of 1.196, showing that he could hit pitching at that level.
Griffin struggled in Spring Training, hitting just .171, which included facing major league pitching, that he clearly had issues with at times.
He said that pitchers are far more advanced in their approach towards him and are simply throwing faster pitches, which is something that he's taking time to figure out and get better at in every at-bat.
“Yeah, every time I step into the box, there’s going to be a good plan against me and the velo’s a little higher, the velo’s consistently higher than what I saw in the minors," Griffin said. "So just trying to adjust to that and continue to be myself and continue to trust my work and my preparation and when I get in the box, just try to be a tough out.”
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.