Pirates Give Konnor Griffin Another Career First
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PITTSBURGH — Konnor Griffin has served as an crucial part of the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup this season and he has his biggest chance yet to show what he can do at the plate.
Griffin will leadoff for the Pirates for the first time in the major leagues, as they face the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 26, the second contest of a four-game series.
He had previously hit as high as second four times, but mostly was down towards the bottom of the Pirates lineup, batting in the fifth spot three times, in the sixth spot seven times, in the seventh spot 11 times and batting 20 times in the eighth spot.
Griffin has hit better this month and his reward is more at-bats and a bigger role for the Pirates, who will rely on him to produce.
Why Griffin is Leading Off Vs. Cubs
The Pirates had Griffin hit as high as second previously, which all came against left-handed starting pitching.
Pittsburgh will face Chicago left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Wicks for what is his 2026 debut and Griffin moves up a spot to face him.
Griffin has also had success against left-handed pitchers this season, slashing .282/.326/.410 for an OPS of .736, with 11 hits in 39 at-bats, three doubles, a triple and five RBI, which Pirates manager Don Kelly showed excitement about pregame.
"I'm really excited to see Konnor up there," Kelly said. "He's done a good job against lefties. Konnor's going to continue to get better, as we've seen in the short time he's been in the big leagues. It's just going to continue to get better. I think that challenging him in different ways, and he's met all of those, excited to see him take another step today as a leadoff guy."
Kelly likes having third baseman Nick Gonzales hitting fourth, or cleanup, and with Griffin on the basepaths early on, he sees opportunities for his speedy rookie to score runs and steal some bases along the way.
"Against a lefty right now, we've had Gonzo and him up there. Gonzo has done a nice job in the middle and with Konnor's speed, getting him towards the top where he can get on and hopefully create some havoc on the bases. Just really like the way Konnor's contained to get better. He's done a good job, I think, in all the spots. Started off lower and challenged him in different ways. He continues to meet those."
How Rest Of Pirates Lineup Looks
Player | Position | Hitting Side |
|---|---|---|
Konnor Griffin | Shortstop | Right |
Brandon Lowe | Second Base | Left |
Bryan Reynolds | Left Fielder | Switch |
Nick Gonzales | Third Base | Right |
Oneil Cruz | Center Field | Left |
Marcell Ozuna | Designated Hitter | Right |
Esmerlyn Valdez | Right Field | Right |
Spencer Horwitz | First Base | Left |
Henry Davis | Catcher | Right |
The Pirates will have five right-handed bats and one switch hitter in the lineup against Wicks, with just three left-handed bats.
First baseman Spencer Horwitz, who hit leadoff the past two games, will drop down to eighth in the batting order, as someone who has struggled against left-handed pitching.
Esmerlyn Valdez will make his PNC Park debut in right field for the Pirates, where he played his first three games of his MLB career in the series vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, May 22-24. He will also hit seventh and is a right-handed power bat that could help the Pirates out in this one.
Bryan Reynolds moves back to left field, after playing in right field in the 2-1 win over the Cubs in the series opener on May 25.
The Pirates will keep the same lineup they had the day prior, with second baseman Brandon Lowe batting second, Reynolds hitting third, Gonzales batting fourth, center fielder Oneil Cruz hitting fifth, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna batting sixth and catcher Henry Davis hitting ninth.
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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.