Pirates Are Getting Something Special in Konnor Griffin
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made the decision that Konnor Griffin is ready for the major leagues, even just as a teenager.
Griffin earned a call-up to join the Pirates and will be with the team for their home opener as they host the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park on April 3, where he should make his debut in front of a soldout crowd of adoring fans.
The 19-year old is the consensus top prospect in baseball, a title he earned last July, as he had a sensational first professional season in 2025, moving up from Single-A to Double-A over 122 games played.
Griffin now gets to show Pirates fans and baseball fans across the world why he is so highly-touted and that he could become one of the best talents the sport has seen for quite some time.
Bat for Contact and Power
Opposing pitchers have quite a difficult task when Griffin comes to the plate, as he is focused on getting on base, but also has incredible strength in his swing as well.
Griffin stands 6-foot-3, 222 pounds, making for an imposing figure in the batter's box, but also someone who knows how to hit and drive in runs.
He had a great season in 2025 from the plate, slashing .333/.415/.527 for an OPS of .942 in 122 games this season, with 161 hits, 23 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 94 RBI and 50 walks to 122 strikeouts.
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 also the first teenager to hit .333 since Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
He continued showing his power at the plate in Spring Training, hitting a team-high four home runs in the Grapefruit League, as he crushed breaking balls for more than 400+ feet with ease.
There were some concerns with his hitting in Spring Training, batting just .171, and that he struck out 13 times to two walks.
Griffin did improve on his plate discipline in his five games at Triple-A, five walks to four strikeouts, which is an encouraging sign for a young hitter that is looking to hit as many home runs and amass extra-base hits any time he steps to the plate.
He has worked on his swing and improved it greatly over the past season, keeping the bat more upright and generating more power and better contact than before the Pirates drafted him, which resulted in the stats he had in 2025.
A Top Glove at Shortstop
Griffin will most certainly take over the starting shortstop role for the Pirates going forward, which is where he spent almost all of 2025.
He earned an MiLB Gold Glove Award at the position, recognizing the best defensive shortstop in the minor leagues. The Pirates also named him the Bill Mazeroski Defender of the Year, awarded to the best defensive minor league player in their farm system.
Griffin possesses everything a great shortstop needs, including a strong arm, quick movements and speed that gets him to ground balls and balls heading towards the outfield to catch, and a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
He worked with then Pirates minor league infield coordinator Chris Truby in his first Spring Training back in 2025, which he credited to his growth at shortstop.
“It was pretty big. I put a lot of work in at short, starting in the offseason," Griffin said back in October. "Then it really picked up when I got to spring training, working with [Chris] Truby every single day, getting my early work in. He believed in me, that I could be a shortstop full time."
"Once I started believing in myself, that I really could do it at the pro level things kind of took off. I think I played like 90% of the games at short, so I got a lot of experience this year. That was the biggest thing – I needed experience. Once I was able to finish out my first season, it was pretty cool to see the stuff that I did.”
Even better for Grifin is that Truby is now the infield coach on the Pirates and he'll continue to work with Truby, becoming an even better defensive player in the future.
Incredible Speed on the Basepaths
The Pirates could always use some speed and some extra stolen bases and Griffin will surely give them that.
Griffin, a great athlete who ran track for a short time in high school, stole 65 bases on 78 attempts in 2025 in the minor leagues and already stole two bases in his five games with Indianapolis. His 65 stolen bases ranked tied for eighth-most in the minors.
His speed also helped him in scoring 117 runs, the most of any player in the minor leagues. He also became the first teenage draftee to achieve a 20-40 season, one of just five teenagers with a 20-40 season and the first minor league player that finished with a 20-60 season since 1982. (21 home runs, 65 stolen bases).
Griffin also hit an inside-the-park home run with Bradenton back on June 7, where he got from the hit to home plate in just 14 seconds.
The Pirates have just one stolen base in 2026, tied for the least in MLB, and will surely have some more when Griffin starts playing.
Maturity and the Next Leader of the Pirates
Most 19-year olds usually aren't ready for the responsibilities of what MLB demands out of them, but Griffin is clearly ready for this opportunity.
Griffin comes from a great family that is athletically-inclined and is the son of Kevin Griffin, who has had a successful tenure as head coach of Belhaven softball, a Division III program, where he just earned his 500th win.
He is also already married, doing so with his high school sweetheart Dendy Griffin this offseason, and is completely focused on improving as a player.
Griffin earned praise from current Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who noted Griffin's maturity and readiness for this moment on the Pat McAfee show.
"Yeah I'm fired up," Skenes said. "If Bucco fans needed anything else to get excited about for the home opener, they got it. It's great. He's a super mature, he's 19 right now, you'd never know it talking to him.
"The most mature 19-year old you're ever going to meet in your life. The play speaks for itself, but the way he conducts himself in the locker room and off the field, it's cool to see. He's going to bring an energy and obviously a skillset to Pittsburgh that's exciting."
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.