Konnor Griffin, MLB’s
No. 1 overall prospect, possesses the kind of skill set that makes him a strong bet to make it to the big leagues sooner rather than later.
However, at least to start the 2026 regular season, Griffin will head back to the minors to build on a meteoric rise he had from Low-A to Double-A in 2025.
Following the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-3 Saturday afternoon win over the Toronto Blue Jays, Griffin, 19, was reassigned to minor-league camp.
Manager Don Kelly told reporters afterward that the Pirates expect Griffin to begin the year at Triple-A Indianapolis.
“Extremely difficult,” Kelly said regarding the decision on Griffin. “The talent that you see, I think he handled himself really well. Professionally, we talk about the maturity level as a 19-year-old in big-league camp. But really excited about him being a Pirate and what that means for the future of Konnor Griffin and the Pirates.”
Griffin, the Pirates’ No. 1 (ninth overall) draft pick in 2024, entered spring training looking to prove he could crack the Opening Day roster as a teenager.
While he flashed his power, clubbing four home runs in 16 Grapefruit League contests, overall Griffin slashed .171/.261/.488 with only seven hits in 41 at-bats.
This spring, Griffin suffered a 31.7% strikeout rate, going down on strikes 13 times, compared to only two walks.
Defensively, the 6-foot-3 shortstop made 12 starts and 16 appearances, recording a .971 fielding percentage over 82 innings.
“(It’s) absolutely nothing he did wrong,” Kelly Said. “I think you see a young kid that was maybe pressing just a little bit and trying really hard. Konnor Griffin the person is elite, in allowing him to go and get back to basics of being Konnor Griffin back out there.
“We know that there’s an elite talent level that comes with him. Just looking forward to him being in Pittsburgh whenever that time comes.”
Over the course of last season, Griffin appeared to encounter few walls in the minor leagues.
Debuting with the Bradenton Marauders on April 4, 2025, Griffin slashed .338/.396/.536 over 50 games, with nine homers, 10 doubles, 36 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.
Promoted to the Greensboro Grasshoppers on June 10, Griffin proceeded to hit .325 through 51 games, with seven home runs, 11 doubles, 36 RBIs and 33 more stolen bases.
His continued success led to another promotion, this time to Double-A Altoona, on Aug. 18.
Experiencing a new level of competition, Griffin didn’t blink, batting .337 over 21 games.
In total, playing in 122 minor-league games last year across three levels, Griffin hit .333 with 21 home runs and 94 RBIs, adding 23 doubles and 65 stolen bases.
Granted, the strikeout woes that Griffin experienced during spring training were visible in the minors last year, as he went down on strikes in 25.2% of his total at-bats, compared to a 10.3% walk rate.
“I’m big on challenging myself,” Griffin told TribLive earlier in spring training. “I’m never going to be scared of a challenge. That’s one thing, I’m going to show up and be ready to face adversity. This game is going to throw a lot at you, so I’ve always been that type of guy, and I think it’s been good for me.”
For Griffin, the challenge now becomes proving he can excel at Triple-A, the last obstacle in the path of his MLB debut.
“He’s a true pro,” Kelly said. “You know that he’s going to go and work his tail off and be up as soon as he can.”
