Pirates Manager Not Ruling Out Opening Day Spot for Konnor Griffin
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have the best prospect in baseball in shortstop Konnor Griffin, who is pushing for a spot on the Opening Day roster at just 19 years old.
Pirates manager Don Kelly spoke with Shelby Cassesse of WPXI about Griffin and whether or not he could get a spot on the Opening Day roster at such a young age.
Kelly didn't want to make a declaration either way on Griffin, as Spring Training workouts just started, but didn't shut down the idea either, wanting to let his star prospect continue his development and get better every day.
“Yeah I think it’s too early to really dive that deep into it," Kelly said. "Really excited that he’s a Pirates and you see the things he’s doing."
"I don’t know if you got to see him hit today, I mean, there are a few balls he hit that still haven’t landed and just really excited about what he brings, the energy, the ability that he’s shown to play shortstop and to continue to keep in mind, it’s a 19-year old kid that has a handful of at-bats in Double-A. It’s a really tough ask in jumping all the way to the big leagues.
"So not saying one way or the other. I think just allowing, talked about it the other day and I know it sounds cliché, but allowing Konnor to be Konnor. The same advice that [Jim] Leyland gave me in starting to manage, it’s the same thing with Konnor.
“He’s a great kid, super mature, works hard every single day and allowing him to develop, at his pace and much like Paul Skenes, there’s no one that’s going to push Konnor harder than Konnor will, which is a great thing to have, when you have a kid that’s that talented, that’s going to work that hard, you know he’s going to be really good.”
Will Konnor Griffin Make Pirates Opening Day Roster?
While most 19 year-olds don't have a shot of playing in the major leagues, Griffin has exactly what the Pirates want in their future shortstop.
He can hit for contact and power, is great defensively, has blistering speed, top-tier athleticism and his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame makes him quite the opposing figure at the plate or in the field.
Griffin was dominant last season, starting at Single-A Bradenton after a strong showing in Spring Training, moving to High-A Greensboro on June 10, then finishing off with Double-A Altoona on Aug. 18.
Batting Avg. | On-Base % | Slugging % | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|
.333 | .415 | .527 | .942 |
Hits | Doubles | Home Runs | RBI | BB/K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
161 | 23 | 21 | 94 | 50/122 |
He led all of minor league baseball with 117 runs scored, and the 19-year old became the first teenage draftee to have a 20-40 season, finishing with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases. He was also the first minor league player to have a 20-60 season since 1982.
Griffin ranked amongst the best players in the minor leagues, including second in runs scored, fourth in batting average, fifth in hits, tied for seventh in RBI and tied for eighth in stolen bases.
He was the first teenager since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit .333 or better in a minor league season. He is also one of just five teenagers that were a part of the 20-40 club and stole the most bases of that group.
Griffin earned numerous accolades, such as an MiLB Gold Glove Award, Baseball America naming him their Minor League Player of the Year Award and MLB Pipeline naming him their Hitting Prospect of the Year and Debut of the Year.
The Pirates will want to see how Griffin does this Spring Training, but the starting shortstop position for Opening Day is open for him if he performs well enough.
Griffin may likely start at Triple-A Indianapolis, but even if he does, he'll surely be on the Pirates at some point in 2026.
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.