Pirates' Konnor Griffin Has Shot to Surpass Yankees Legend
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PITTSBURGH -- The expectations for Pittsburgh Pirates’ 19-year-old phenom Konnor Griffin are already sky-high.
Would it be crazy to say that the Pirates’ rookie could one day challenge an MLB legend and Baseball Hall of Famer? 93.7 The Fan radio host Andrew Fillipponi doesn’t think so. In fact, he confidently declared that Griffin’s career will surpass New York Yankees icon Derek Jeter in a recent post from his X account.
Konnor Griffin will be better than Derek Jeter. Mark my words.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 3, 2026
This is a wild take from Fillipponi. Griffin would have to accumulate more than the 3,400 career hits, 14 All-Star appearances, five Silver Sluggers Awards, five Gold Gloves and five World Series championships that Jeter did in his 20 years in the MLB. There is no limit to what Griffin can do in his MLB career, but let's not saddle him with the expectations of the Hall of Fame after his first two weeks in the big leagues. There is one area that Griffin can absolutely be better than Jeter, however, and that's on the defensive side of the ball.
How Did Jeter Win 5 Gold Gloves?
As captain of the Yankees, Jeter was electric. In the field, he was known for making backhanded stops on groundballs, dazzling jumping throws to gun runners down at first base and a few trips into the bleachers while chasing down fly balls. He made incredible plays during his career, and by all accounts was an above-average defender at a crucial infield position.
What’s strange and a bit overblown in the wake of his retirement, is the defensive prowess Jeter possessed. It's punctuated by being named the best defensive shortstop in the American League on five occasions, but it's truly a wonder how he won those five Gold Gloves during his career.
One piece of analytics that is used to separate the best from the good defenders is defensive runs saved (DRS). The statistic aims to measure and reflect a more total overview of a player's defensive impact outside of errors.
Over Jeter’s career, he was routinely a below-average defender as measured by DRS. According to his career data from Baseball Reference, only one of his Gold Glove seasons was truly worthy of the award. In 2009, he posted a DRS for the year of 3. In every other season of his career, he posted a negative total.
Can Griffin Surpass Jeter’s Defense?
There’s plenty of reason to believe Griffin can reach great heights, but could he reasonably be a better defender than Jeter?
If the measure is solely based on Gold Gloves collected, Griffin has no shot. The days of players like Jeter and Omar Vizquel winning the award year after year are gone.
But Griffin has the size and determination to be a special defensive player. The 6’3” shortstop is uniquely athletic and has the range to be a impassable wall in the field.
It’s a long shot for Griffin, but he and the organization expect greatness. Surpassing the winning and greatness Jeter reached is a mountain to climb, but specifically when it comes to defense, Griffin has the chance to surpass an MLB legend.
Jacob is a featured writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for Steelers On SI and the NHL for Breakaway On SI. He also co-hosts the All Steelers Talk podcast. Previous work covering the NHL for Inside the Penguins and The Hockey News.