Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin is MLB’s top prospect. So far in spring, he’s lived up to the hype

One at-bat in live batting practice can only tell you so much. Except, perhaps, when the hitter is 19 and the pitcher is arguably the best on the planet.

Shortstop Konnor Griffin, baseball’s top prospect, flew out in his first BP at-bat against Paul Skenes. He struck out on three expertly placed fastballs without even swinging in his second.

The third at-bat was the one Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly was still talking about days later. Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, acknowledged it, too.

The moment was one of many that has the Pirates thinking they might not just have one unicorn in Skenes, but another in Griffin as well.

A right-handed hitter facing the game’s most dominant right-handed pitcher, Griffin worked the count to 3-2. He then pulled what Kelly called “a bullet” to left field.

Depending on the left fielder’s positioning in an actual game, maybe it would have been a hit, maybe not. The adjustment is what caught Kelly’s attention. Rather than get jumpy or overly aggressive, Griffin settled into the at-bat like a 10-year veteran.

Skenes said he wasn’t necessarily impressed Griffin got to his two-strike slider, even though it was a pitch he executed to his satisfaction. What impressed Skenes was the advanced approach of a kid who doesn’t turn 20 until April 24.

“The reason he took three fastballs is because he was looking for something else, I guess, in the first live BP of spring training,” Skenes said. “He had his goals in what he was going into the ‘live’ to do, and he did them. It’s really easy when you’re facing me or another really good arm to get outside of your approach, and he didn’t do that.”

The at-bat was just the start of Griffin’s spring, a spring in which he is the talk of Florida, a spring that might be remembered as the dawning of baseball’s next superstar.

Griffin, the ninth pick of the 2024 draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Miss., is a threat to make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster in just his second year as a professional.

He played in only 122 games last season, only 21 above Class A. Yet, teammates and opponents alike express astonishment at his maturity, his baseball instincts and above all, his immense talent.

New Pirates first baseman Ryan O’Hearn jokes that Griffin, listed at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, was “built in a lab.”

“I don’t see a 19-year-old. He is a grown man,” O’Hearn said. “The way that his body is, the way that he moves … I have taken some feeds at first from him throwing at shortstop – electric arm. I watched his batting practice. I think we are running out of baseballs.”

Griffin, in his first Grapefruit League game Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, struck out twice on fastballs. The next day, in a split-squad game against the Philadelphia Phillies, he went 0-for-3, a misleading boxscore line if there ever was one.

Griffin’s second out was a 105.6-mph shot to center that might have gone for a homer, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said, “if the wind wasn’t blowing in a million miles an hour.” His third out was a 109.1-mph opposite-field bolt that nearly buckled the Phillies’ right fielder.

The Phillies’ Bryce Harper, who knows something about teenage phenoms, spoke only two words when asked for his impression of Griffin.

“Stud, man.”

What stood out?

“Demeanor. Big leaguer,” Harper said. “You didn’t even have to think about it. You can tell, the way he presents himself.”

Griffin’s physical tools are extraordinary, as evidenced last season by his combined .333 batting average, .941 OPS and 65 stolen bases in 78 attempts. For veteran players forever wary of prospects hyped as the next big thing, his even-keeled, respectful nature only adds to his appeal.

“You wouldn’t even think he’s 19 if you went up and actually talked with him,” new Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe said.

Pirates third base coach Tony Beasley said he sees a “smooth confidence” in Griffin, as opposed to arrogance or cockiness. The teenage Harper, whom Beasley managed with the Washington Nationals’ Double-A affiliate in 2011 and Triple A team in ‘12, carried himself differently.

“Harper was more abrasive and out front,” Beasley said. “(Griffin) is more reserved, almost like an Andruw Jones approach.

“(Jones) always had that smile on his face, like, ‘I kind of know what’s coming.’ (Griffin) has got those type of qualities. I love how he goes about his business for a young kid.”

Kelly does, too.

“Anything that you would want a young player to be, that is what Konnor is,” Kelly said.

Now, fast forward to Griffin’s third Grapefruit League game, Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox – his best yet.

In the second inning, the Red Sox’s $130 million left-hander, Ranger Suárez, threw Griffin a hanging curveball on a 2-1 count. Griffin hit the ball out of the Red Sox’s spring home, Jet Blue Park, for a two-run, 104.8-mph homer.

In the fourth, Griffin crushed another homer out of the park with his hardest-hit ball of the spring, a 111.2-mph shot off an 0-2 sweeper by right-hander Seth Martinez.

Konnor Griffin … WOW 🤯

MLB’s No. 1 prospect goes yard AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/F1VTJnWlWB

— MLB (@MLB) February 24, 2026

Red Sox manager Alex Cora later would say, “I was impressed by his physicality and how well he moves for his size.” But Cora was struck by something else as well.

In the sixth, the Red Sox finally retired Griffin, on a slow roller to third. Watching the kid bust down the line, Cora’s admiration for him only grew.

“That’s a ballplayer right there,” Cora said.

The danger with any young player is that he will get overwhelmed by the major-league travel and schedule. Minor leaguers play six-game series in one locale, are off every Monday and usually get one scheduled day off a week as well. The difference in the caliber of baseball between Triple A and the majors also has never been greater – and Griffin has yet to even play at Triple A.

Lowe, however, sees Griffin as the type of prospect who can cope with the inevitable failure even superstars experience. Beasley, who has been in pro ball as a player, coach and manager for most of the past 35 years, also views Griffin as someone who can handle the learning curve.

“He’s not an up-and-down guy. He’s a flat-liner, which is really good,” Beasley said, referring to Griffin’s emotional makeup. “He’s got a baseball mind. He’s got some savviness for a 19-year-old that you just don’t see too often, the ability to recognize and adjust, without panic.

“Obviously, the game will test you. I’m sure he’ll be tested in ways that he hasn’t been. But I think he’ll respond, not react. There’s a difference.”

OK, time to slow down.

As excited as the Pirates are about Griffin, they are mindful he is only 19. They want to nurture him, protect him and make sure they develop him properly.

Using age 20 1/2 as a cutoff, Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper determined only four players in the past 40 years reached the majors with Griffin’s combination of youth and inexperience.

The four, who, like Griffin, had 130 or fewer minor-league games and 575 or fewer plate appearances were Harper, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Juan Soto – one Hall of Famer, two likely Hall of Famers and one who would have been a lock if not for his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

From Babe Ruth to Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays to the present day, the game’s history tells us the great ones need not be held down. Griffin, by virtually all accounts, seems destined to be one of the great ones. And the introduction of the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) in the 2022 collective-bargaining agreement actually incentivizes the Pirates to include him on their Opening Day roster.

The PPI awards teams a draft pick after the first round if they promote a consensus top-100 prospect within two weeks of Opening Day, carry him for most or all of the season, then benefit from the player either winning Rookie of the Year or finishing top three in MVP or Cy Young voting.

Four clubs have realized that incentive with Rookie of the Year winners – Seattle with center fielder Julio Rodríguez, Baltimore with shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Arizona with outfielder Corbin Carroll and Atlanta with catcher Drake Baldwin. Two others, Kansas City and Houston, received picks for shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and right-hander Hunter Brown finishing top three in MVP and Cy Young votes, respectively, prior to qualifying for arbitration.

The Pirates, on the other hand, cost themselves an extra selection for Skenes, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year, by delaying his initial promotion until May 11. They then got hit with a double whammy.

Skenes, by winning the award, gained a full year of service under another wrinkle implemented in the 2022 CBA, one designed to discourage teams from manipulating the service time of top young players. So, Skenes will hit free agency one year earlier than he would have otherwise, after his age 27 season.

The Pirates, by keeping Griffin in the minors long enough to wreck his Rookie of the Year chances, can ensure he remains with them an extra season. But after an offseason in which they traded for Lowe and signed O’Hearn, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and reliever Gregory Soto as free agents, the Pirates intend to be competitive. Griffin, if he delivers on his vast promise, can help transform the franchise.

But again, he’s not yet 20.

Skenes, at the time of his debut, was about to turn 22. He played three seasons of college ball, two at Air Force and one at LSU. Griffin was in high school just two years ago.

“Paul and Konnor are different players, different people,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “So I really think we’d owe it to both of them to treat their cases individually.

“I don’t think one relates to the other except in the sense we hope they are playing together at some point and helping us win games for a long time. Since Konnor signed, I believe we’ve always tried to put in front of him what we feel is best for him in the long run. That will continue to guide us.”

If Griffin is not in the lineup Opening Day, Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo will be the Pirates’ options at short. Triolo, Nick Yorke and Enmanuel Valdéz would be their possibilities at third. None of those players is close to proven. And if Griffin is sent to Triple A, the calls for his promotion, once he starts tearing up that level, will be deafening.

“I just want to take it day by day and leave camp as a better player,” Griffin said. “I’m not worried about where I’ll start, all that stuff. My main goal is to help the big-league team win at some point. Whenever my chance comes, I’ll take it and just be prepared.”

His chance is coming, all right. Probably sooner than later.

Lowe, a two-time All-Star and eight-year veteran, said Griffin has the perfect combination of “a great head on his shoulders” and a “built-in-a-factory type physique.”

“He jumps off the page. He’s huge. He plays shortstop. He’s fast. He’s got power,” Lowe said.

“You know, he’s got all the things to make it work.”