I don’t know if you know this or not, but there’s a little stipulation in Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement which stipulates that fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates are barred from ever feeling joy.
Ok fine, that technically isn’t true. But it certainly feels true. Yesterday, news broke that shortstop Konnor Griffin went down with a torn finger tendon. The rookie sensation, who broke into the major leagues in Pittsburgh’s home opener and has slashed .276/.332/.404 (.736 OPS) so far this season, is now slated to be out of the lineup until early September.
Griffin, the ninth overall pick from 2024 and just 20 years old, represented a new era of Pirates baseball. Not only was he a rare homegrown batting prospect who the Pirates were able to help develop into a major-league talent at warp speed, his inking of a nine-year contract earlier in the year signified an actual investment in the future of this club.
Much of that first year has already been lost to injury. Griffin missed nearly all of June with a forearm strain, and now might be lucky to play half a season’s worth of games in his first year in the bigs.
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Fifth Avenue Sports 