Pirates Need to Let Konnor Griffin Learn Through Struggles
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — Konnor Griffin is the star prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates that will eventually become the face of the franchise, but has a long ways to go before reaching his full potential.
Griffin showed in the most recent Pirates game, an 8-7 defeat to the Washington Nationals at PNC Park in the series finale on April 16, that he's still adjusting to playing major league ball, but that he has the talent to achieve greatness as well.
The 19-year old made a crucial fielding error, a rarity from the 2025 MiLB Gold Glove Award winner, allowing the Nationals to score three runs on it, but then also bounced back by almost hitting his first home run of his career, settling for an RBI-triple.
Griffin is just two weeks into his major league career, but these moments, while hard, are incredibly important for him moving forward in this season and the years to come.
Looking at the Mistake/Great Play Griffin Made
The Nationals loaded the bases against the Pirates with one out in the top of the fifth inning and first baseman Luis García Jr. hit a ground ball to Griffin at shortstop.
Griffin then tried to tag the second base bag and throw to first for the double play to keep the Nationals scoreless, but instead, got to the bag too late and then Nationals second baseman Nasim Nuñez slid into second base and collided with Griffin, who threw the ball and ended up spiking it.
This resulted in all three runs coming to score and giving the Nationals a 3-0 lead early on.
Konnor Griffin spikes the ball into ground allowing all three runs to score on a ground ball pic.twitter.com/vELFw8KPsr
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 16, 2026
Griffin took accountability after the game and wanted to just get out of the inning, but was unsuccessful in doing that.
“I was just trying to make a play for Braxton [Ashcraft]," Griffin said postgame. "Fielded it, thought I had a chance to get second, turn and throw, my back leg got stuck under his. At that point, I just tried to hold onto it. It kinda slipped out of my hand and three runs scored. That’s on me. Keep working on that.”
Griffin responded with a big hit in the bottom of the sixth inning with a big time hit, taking a cutter down and on the outter half from Nationals right-handed pitcher Paxton Schultz, sending it 108.7 mph off the bat and 403 feet to center field.
It was almost over the wall, but hit just at the top part of it, still ending up in a triple for Griffin, as he scored catcher Joey Bart to tie the game back up at 5-5. Griffin also showed off his speed, reaching third base from home plate in just 12.06 seconds.
Konnor Griffin game-tying triple! 💨 pic.twitter.com/Z4cQxGzAgX
— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2026
“Felt good, got a cutter on the outside and was able to get extended and catch a good barrel there," Griffin said. "That’s what we are chasing every day. That was fun.”
How Games Like This Are Important for Griffin
Griffin has started just 11 games at shortstop and played 13 contests overall since his explosive, MLB debut vs. the Baltimore Orioles in the home opener on April 3.
He's had some great moments so far, like hitting an RBI-double in his first at-bat, but also going 13 at-bats without a hit after that and facing off against some tough pitchers in his first two weeks in the big leagues.
Griffin may only have a slash line of .214/.292/.310 for an OPS of .602, but him going back down to the minor leagues would be a waste of his and the Pirates' time, especially after they signed him to a nine-year, $140 million contract extension last week.
Staying at the major league level allows him to process these mistakes, learn from them and become a better player earlier than he would've been if he was still at Triple-A where he started the season.
Griffin also gains experience from facing MLB pitching right now, as he'll learn how to deal with high velocity as the season goes on and show off the contact and power he did in the minors last season.
“Just keeping the mentality of just be a tough out," Griffin said on how he approaches hitting. "Just go compete in the box and my swing is my swing, it’s going to pay off. Just continue to prepare the right way and train and challenge myself, it will be ok.”
Griffin ended up having a strong series vs. the Nationals at the plate, as he had five hits in 13 at-bats, a .357 batting average, including slashing a double off the right field wall on April 14 and a single in the 10th inning to give the Pirates a chance to win the game.
Pirates manager Don Kelly, ever the supporter of his young star, loved how Griffin bounced back from the earlier mistake and that he's getting better and better at the plate.
"Huge. For him to stay in the moment and drive that ball, I can't believe that ball didn't get out as hard as he hit it and as well as he hit it," Kelly said. "He's on third in a big situation. Just the way that he's able to stay in the moment and stay in the game and continue to compete. Even there in the last inning, being able to set us up there first and third with a base hit. He's doing great."
The best thing Griffin can do going forward is keep faith in what he's done so far, but take to heart the advice he gets from the Pirates staff and also his teammates.
He will turn 20 years old next week, but there's a lot to like from Griffin, maybe even more so from his approach to the game, showing maturity far beyond his years.
“Just try to be the same guy every day," Griffin said on how he deals with the hard times. "Just trust that I’ve put in enough work preparing myself for the games. When I get on the field, just let whatever happens happen.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.