Pirates' Konnor Griffin Primed for Spring Training Breakout
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PITTSBURGH — Konnor Griffin hasn't quite shown Pittsburgh Pirates fans exactly what they want to see from him in Spring Training, but he's close to doing so.
Griffin will make his second start at shortstop for the Pirates during the Grapefruit League, as they travel to face the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla., with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m.
The 19-year old, top prospect in baseball has no hits in five at-bats and two strikeouts, but he has come close to getting that hit so far, particularly in his last start vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater on Feb. 22.
Griffin got to first base on a slow roller in the infield, but the first base umpire called him out, despite video evidence showing he was safe.
He also hit a ball 397 feet and 105.6 mph off the bat, but the wind during the game knocked it down on the warning track in center field, ending his shot at his first home run in Spring Training.
This game vs. the Red Sox will give Griffin another shot at finally breaking through this spring, as he's shown great power and contact in batting practice. He'll hit in the sixth spot of the lineup, so he could add some runs for the Pirates if they give him a shot today.
Pirates fans will also want to see some of that defense Griffin displayed last season, earning an MiLB Gold Glove award, and his speed, as he stole 65 bases in 2025.
Other Important Notes for the Pirates vs. the Red Sox
The Pirates will have an interesting assortment of scheduled pitchers for this matchup against the Red Sox.
Carmen Mlodzinski gets the start and is stretching out as a starting pitcher this offseason, as he has primarily excelled in the bullpen for the majority of his major league career.
The Pirates have three different pitching prospects joining Mlodzinski vs. the Red Sox, with Wilber Dotel, Khristian Curtis and Thomas Harrington amongst the scheduled pitchers.
Dotel started the first Grapefruit League game for the Pirates, throwing two scoreless innings in the 8-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota on Feb. 21.
He is one of the better pitching prospects in the Pirates farm system, with Baseball America ranking him 10th overall, The Athletic ranking him 11th overall and MLB Pipeline still having him at 28th.
Curtis is a non-roster invitee to Major League Camp and The Athletic ranks him as the Pirates 12th best prospect, while Baseball America has him at 16th.
He excelled from May onwards with High-A Greensboro, posting an 8-3 record, with a 2.87 ERA over 97.1 innings pitched and 97 strikeouts.
Harrington struggled in his two major league stints with the Pirates last season and is looking to bounce back this season, especially early on in Spring Training.
Other players to keep an eye on in the Pirates include center fielder Jake Mangum and left fielder Jhostynxon García.
Mangum and García came in trades from the Tampa Bay Rays and the Red Sox, with Mangum also attending the same high school as Griffin, Jackson Prep in Jackson, Miss., and García another top prospect for the Pirates with a big-time power bat.
Three other prospects to look out off the Pirates bench include infielders Termarr Johnson, who was the Pirates fourth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, and power hitter Callan Moss, plus rising prospect in outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez.
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.