Phenom Konnor Griffin could ignite the Pittsburgh Pirates' offense and end their postseason drought, but he has to be in the major leagues to do it.
It is, by far, the hottest topic in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ spring training camp.
Will 19-year-old phenom Konnor Griffin begin the season in the major leagues as the everyday shortstop? Or will the best prospect in baseball get sent back to the minor leagues for more development?
A case can be made both ways, and let’s start with the conservative one.
Griffin is less than two years away from being a high school player in Flowood, Miss. He also has yet to play at the Triple-A level after capping his incredible 2025 professional debut season with a 21-game stint with Double-A Altoona in which he had 98 plate appearances.
The Pirates would also start Griffin’s service-time clock if he is on the team for the March 26 opener against the Mets in New York. That would mean Griffin could reach salary arbitration eligibility after the 2028 season and free agency following the conclusion of the 2032 World Series.
The easiest piece of building a case for Griffin beginning the season in the big leagues is that the Pirates say they are serious about trying to win. Griffin would give Pittsburgh a better shot at breaking a postseason drought dating to 2016.
The Pirates have two choices at shortstop: Griffin and Nick Gonzales. Both are first-round draft choices, but Griffin had a more productive 2025 season than Gonzales has collectively since being drafted in 2020.
Griffin had a season for the ages last year while spending time at Low-A Bradenton, High-A Greensboro, and Altoona. He hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases in 122 games. Griffin also made just seven errors in 89 games as a shortstop while being the unanimous Minor League Player of the Year.
Gonzales has a career .257/.300/.375 slash line with 14 homers in 225 games over three seasons in the major leagues. Gonzales also had minus-11 defensive runs saved in just 85 games last season, making it difficult to project him as an even adequate fielder at shortstop.
Perhaps the biggest question about placing any 19-year-old in the big leagues is whether he can handle the pressure from a maturity and psychological standpoint. That answer is a resounding yes.
I’ve only met Griffin once, and I was blown away by his maturity. Any person I know who has been around Griffin raves about Griffin’s mental makeup. He seemingly has no flaws on or off the field.
There is no question that the Pirates would be gambling by taking Griffin north with them at the end of spring training. Yet he seems as sure a bet to handle life in the big leagues as any teenager.
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