Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin made his MLB debut against the Baltimore Orioles.
At just 19 years old, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin made his MLB debut against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday afternoon at PNC Park. The number one prospect in baseball, Griffin was selected ninth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft out of high school. The only real question about his game at that time was whether it would translate to professional ball. The tools were all there, it was just the level of competition that he had not yet proven his ability against.
He quickly answered those questions in the minor leagues, appearing in 127 games across four levels, hitting .336 with a .950 OPS. This was capped off by his five games at Triple-A, where he went 7-for-16 with three doubles, five walks and four runs scored. His 1.196 OPS at Triple-A earned him a quick call to the bigs, where he debuted against Baltimore on Friday.
Ironically, Griffin has drawn comparisons to Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. The Hall of Fame shortstop spent 21 seasons in Major League Baseball, appearing in 3,001 games, including an MLB record 2,632 consecutive games.
In his illustrious career, Ripken made 19 All-Star appearances, won eight Silver Slugger awards, two MVP awards, two Gold Glove awards and a World Series in 1983. These are of course unimaginable expectations to place on a 19-year-old Griffin, but he seems up for the challenge.
"It's pretty special to hear," he said of those comparisons. "... Today's the first day of trying to carve out a legacy that I wanna build."
In his debut, Griffin got four plate appearances, coming away with an RBI double and a walk. Both he and the Pirates hope this is the start of a long and successful career, as he inked a long-term extension worth $140 million across nine years before even making his debut. If Griffin becomes who many think he will be, this deal could actually be somewhat of a steal for Pittsburgh in its later years. It would also allow him to become a free agent at 28 when he would still be presumably in his prime.
For the Orioles, they were of course on the other end of Griffin’s debut, as his RBI double ended up making a significant difference in what was a 5-4 Pirates victory. The loss dropped Baltimore to 3-4 through seven games, while the Pirates improved to 4-3. The two teams will play two more games to wrap up this series, both afternoon affairs this weekend.