Ahead of their home opener at PNC Park on Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced the promotion of Konnor Griffin, baseball’s top prospect, to the big league club.
When he suits up for the Pirates at PNC Park, he will become the first teenaged major leaguer since Juan Soto did it in Washington back in 2018.
The ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, who will turn 20 on April 24th, battled for a job in spring training and survived the first several rounds of roster cuts. He wound up playing 16 Grapefruit League games, where he slashed .171/.261/.488 (.749 OPS), with four home runs, nine RBI, and a stolen base.
He had his flashes in Bradenton during the spring, but some of the lack of consistency ultimately helped lead to the organization assigning him to Triple-A to open the season with the Indianapolis Indians.
After rocketing from Low-A Bradenton all the way up to Double-A Altoona during his first professional season last year through the minor leagues, Griffin made his Triple-A debut on March 27th.
He didn’t have much left to prove, and he apparently didn’t need a lot of time to do it. Griffin played a grand total of five games for Indianapolis, where he went 7-for-16 at the plate and slashed .438/.571/.625 (1.196 OPS).
In his Indians debut, Griffin 1-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout.
He followed it up with his first multi-hit game in Triple-A in game two, and his first extra-base hit in his third game. Nearly every game was better than the last for the Jackson, Mississippi native. His work included three stolen bases in five attempts, five walks drawn, and just four strikeouts.
Griffin bat leadoff for Indianapolis in all five games, usually finding a way to provide some pop for the lineup right away.
Against pitchers who have played in the major leagues at some point during their career, Griffin was 3-for-7 with three strikeouts, two walks, and a pair of doubles. Competing against the upper echelon of Triple-A pitching the way he did, even if in a very small sample size, was incredibly encouraging to see.
Defensively, Griffin played shortstop all five games in Indianapolis, the spot he figures to take up once he arrives in Pittsburgh. He displayed all the tools and skills that made the Pirates confident in drafting him and accelerating his path to the major leagues as quickly as he dud.
One thing Griffin will be looking for once he suits up for the Pirates is a win. Despite Griffin outperforming expectations and a much more balanced roster in Indianapolis this season, the Indians went 0-5 to open the year, including a sweep at the hands of the St. Paul Saints at Victory Field on opening weekend.
The Pirates, meanwhile, have hoisted the cone after winning their first series of the season, besting Cincinnati on the road to even their record at 3-3 before the home opener. A year ago, PNC Park’s home opener was marred by “sell the team” chants, an aggressive booing of former manager Derek Shelton, and a 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees.
What a difference a year makes. Griffin’s arrival is just the dessert for a fan base whose emotions have done almost a complete 180, at least to start the year. But as the season goes along, more and more of the optimism will rest on the shoulders of the young Griffin.
I’d tell him no pressure, but I don’t know if he even feels pressure. It should be a fun one Friday.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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