Pirates' Konnor Griffin Fires Off Decisive Hit in Spring Training Win
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a strong showing so far in the Grapefruit League and top prospect Konnor Griffin has played a role in that.
Griffin got the crucial hit for the Pirates, as they made a comeback and defeated the New York Yankees 5-3 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. on March 9, an important moment for the 19-year old in Spring Training.
The Pirates trailed 3-0 heading into the top of the fifth inning, before designated hitter Endy Rodríguez hit a home run and then loaded the bases for Griffin to come up.
Griffin took advantage, hitting a ball 98 mph off the bat down the third base line fair, getting into second base for a double and scoring two runners to tie the game at 3-3.
The Pirates would add a run each in the sixth inning and eighth inning, getting their third straight win and serving as one of the better MLB teams in Spring Training so far, thanks in large part to Griffin.
Griffin Shows Off Speed on Double
What was most impressive from Griffin wasn't even the solid hit, but how quickly he got to second base, making it there in 8.07 seconds, which grades at the 95th percentile in the major leagues.
Konnor Griffin uses his 70-grade speed to race from home to second in 8.07 seconds (MLB 95th percentile).
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 10, 2026
MLB's No. 1 prospect ties it up for the @Pirates in the process. pic.twitter.com/GPH69QnW01
"Yeah that was fun," Griffin said in a video from DK Pittsburgh Sports. "Getting out of the box quick, trying to get to second and I got a double for sure."
Griffin showed off his speed throughout the 2025 season, with 65 steals on 78 base attempts, finishing as one of the more prolific base stealers in the minor leagues.
"Yeah it's good," Griffin said. "Every day I'm showing up playing baseball. That's part of my game, speed's part of my game and to be able to get a double out of it today, score some runs, that was fun."
This also marked just the second hit for Griffin in Spring Training that wasn't a home run, with the other a single in his last start vs. the Detroit Tigers on March 7 at at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla.
Griffin hit two home runs vs. the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla. on Feb. 24 and then a solo home run vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 1, showing off his immense power and what Pirates fans hope to see in the near future at the major league level.
He'll need more than just power and a solid double with speed to make it on the Opening Day roster, but Griffin knows that and is trying to stay as consistent as he can the final two weeks of Spring Training.
"Just taking things day-by-day," Griffin said. "Staying laser-focused on how I can become a better player and it's pretty easy around these guys. We're trying to win games every day and it's just fun to go out there and compete. Just continuing to count on what I've been doing."
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.