What Spring Reps Reveal About Pirates' Konnor Griffin Trust Level
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Konnor Griffin has all the hype around him in Spring Training and it's for good reason.
Griffin will make his third start in the Grapefruit League and his first home Spring Training start for the Pirates, as they host the Baltimore Orioles at LECOM Park.
He'll hit eighth in the lineup, the lowest he has so far in the Grapefruit League, but it's another chance for the Pirates to see what their future star can do.
Griffin's ultimate goal is making the Opening Day roster and he's shown so far in Spring Training that he's going to make it a difficult decision for the Pirates front office.
Pirates Showing Trust in Griffin Early On
The Pirates have a few options at shortstop, but Griffin is the future at that position for the franchise.
He has the bat that they want, going for contact and power, has a great glove at shortstop and is excellent on the base paths, with 65 stolen bases last year.
There are reports that the Pirates and Griffin are open to an extension, which gives both parties advantages and most importantly, a chance for Griffin to become the future star of the franchise, joining Paul Skenes for the best hitter-pitcher duo in baseball.
But before Griffin ends up doing this, he has to keep producing with the Pirates in Spring Training and consistently too.
Griffin is still a teenager and hasn't even played at Triple-A yet, so the Pirates won't just throw him on the Opening Day roster just to capitalize on the hype.
The Pirates have moved Griffin up quickly through the minor leagues, starting at Single-A Bradenton and finishing up with Double-A Altoona.
If Griffin can keep up his performances both from the plate and in the field, he'll give himself the best shot of taking the plane with the Pirates to face the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 26.
What the Pirates Have Seen in Konnor Griffin in Spring Training
Griffin is thankfully back in the lineup, after leaving the most recent game after a hit by pitch against the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla. on Feb. 25.
Pirates manager Don Kelly said that they kept Griffin out in the most recent game as a precaution, but putting him back in the lineup shows that they want to see more from him going forward.
It's understandable, as Griffin excelled in his last start in the Grapefruit League vs. the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla. on Feb. 24.
Griffin hit two home runs, a two-run home run in the second inning and a solo home run in the fourth inning, plus a ground out RBI in the fifth inning for four runs driven in on the day.
He crushed a hanging curveball from Red Sox left-handed starting pitcher Ranger Suarez, 75.4 mph over the middle of the plate, and sent it 374 feet and 104.8 mph off the bat for his first home run.
Griffin then unloaded on another breaking ball as his next home run pitch, a 78.8 mph sweeper from Red Sox right-handed pitcher Seth Martinez.
The 19-year old has shown an aggressive style at the plate, which trends from his first season as a professional in 2025.
Griffin hit 21 home runs last year and had just one game with two home runs, so this was an important moment for him.
He also showed off his fielding at shortstop, which won him an MiLB Gold Glove Award last year. He fielded three consecutive ground balls in the second inning, with the last one a throw too early in the dirt, which ended up as an error.
Griffin performed well outside of that error and if there's a time to make mistakes, early on in Spring Training is best.
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.