Konnor Griffin showcases elite tools in career night
Griffin picks up first two XBH, flashes glove at short
Konnor Griffin was drafted ninth overall in 2024 due to his incredibly high ceiling and loud tools. As an 18-year-old, Griffin briefly showcased those skills during spring training, where he made several appearances in big league camp with the Pirates.
Assigned to Single-A Bradenton to begin his professional career, Griffin has had a bit of an uneven start. He’s picked up some hits here and there—all singles—and has showcased his speed in stealing four bases in six games.
He even hit a ball 114 mph off the bat, a number that was among the elites—at the major league level.
But he also was striking out at a higher-than-ideal rate of 42.9%. Six games and 28 plate appearances are hardly enough to get worried, but there was certainly some room for improvement.
In the first of many to come, Griffin put together an incredible performance, showcasing the tools that made him a high draft pick—both at the plate and with the glove.
Griffin was struggling to elevate the baseball, nothing out of the ordinary for young players in pro ball. He got ahold of a fastball, got it in the air, sending it the other way for the right center field fence.
Not only did he flash a little opposite field power, but he also showcased what is perhaps his best tool right now, speed.
According to this tweet, it took Griffin 11.44 seconds to go from home to third base—a speed that is faster than any other recorded time in the majors this year.
Later, in the eighth inning with the game tied at five, Griffin got a fastball left up thigh-high on the inner half of the plate that he turned on and hit out of the park for a go-ahead two-run home run.
The ball traveled 104.6 mph off the bat, and the pitch registered at 96.5 mph.
Despite some of the swing concerns that Griffin supposedly had during the draft process, the changes he made over the offseason certainly allow him to catch with high velocity.
So, what’s next for Griffin? He handled velocity well in this game, which could force opposing pitchers to adjust. We saw that a bit in the game already. In the at-bat between the two hits, Griffin grounded out to first, and the pitcher threw nothing but curveballs against him.
He’ll learn. This is why you invest in the super athletic kids, because if anyone is going to figure it out, it’ll be them.
With the bat isn’t the only place that Griffin stood out on Friday, as he also flashed the leather on a couple of occasions.
It’s already being debated on where his final defensive position will be. He has the arm and range to play shortstop, but you could argue that his natural skills could make him an elite centerfielder.
The Pirates are set to give him every opportunity to stick at shortstop after showing how natural he can be in center during spring training.
They’ve stuck to that to this point, as he’s played shortstop in the six games he has played in the field.
Two plays stood out in particular. Both showed great range and a quick release to throw the runners out.
He ranges over to the other side of the second base bag and is able to make a strong throw to get the out.
This one is similar. He needs to range to the other side of the bag, but he has to slide to get the ball and is still able to get up and deliver the ball to get the out.
Griffin is undoubtedly super talented, and for the first time, we have a chance to see just how much he can impact the game.
There is still more work to be done, but with more adjustments and experience, we should see the tools shine more often than not.
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Dominic Perachi moved to IL-60. That sucks.
The triple is really impressive. OK, it was to right field, but it was a line shot that the right fielder played cleanly off the wall on one bounce and came up throwing immediately. Getting all the way to third on that is remarkable.