Minor-league top performers: Griffin earns weekly honors in Greensboro debut
The top performers in the Pirates' system over the past week
The Pittsburgh Pirates promoted their top hitting prospect, Konnor Griffin, before the previous week of games started. Going from Single-A to High-A as a teenager, you almost wouldn’t blame him for getting off to a rocky start.
Instead, Griffin took home Player of the Week honors for the South Atlantic League. He wasn’t the only top performer from Greensboro, as a familiar face once again had a strong week.
Here’s a top look at the top performers in the Pirates system from the previous week:
Top Hitters
Konnor Griffin
Last Week: .407/.469/.778, 10 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, 6/7 SB
This Season: .346/.405/.564, 59 R, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 14 2B, 2 3B, 18 BB, 55 K, 32/37 SB
It didn’t take long for Konnor Griffin to adjust to High-A, as he took home Player of the Week honors in the South Atlantic League. He recorded 11 hits over six games, with four doubles and two home runs. He also cracked the 30 stolen base mark.
Not a bad start for a teenager in High-A.
Esmerlyn Valdez
Last Week: .542/.633/.833, 5 R, 4 2B, HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K, 2/2 SB
This Season: .310/.396/.591, 38 R, 16 HR, 15 2B, 3B, 45 RBI, 29 BB, 63 K, 2/2 SB
For as good as Griffin was last week, Esmerlyn Valdez stayed right there with him, even finishing with more hits. He even added his first two stolen bases of the season, and added to his system-leading home run total, now sitting at 16.
Edward Florentino
Last Week: .471/.474/.882, 8 R, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, BB, 5 K
This Season: .349/.430/.663, 21 R, 5 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 12 BB, 22 K
It’s been a great month of June for Edward Florentino, including last week, when he had a game in which he came a double short of the cycle. He currently has an 11-game hit streak that dates back to the previous month. Florentino had eight hits in five games last week.
Top Pitchers
Antwone Kelly
Last Week: 2/2, 10 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
This Season: 13/13, 1-1, 55.1 IP, 38 H, 3.25 ERA, 17 BB, 65 K
It was another solid week for Antwone Kelly, who pitched 10 innings over two starts. After striking out four in six innings on Tuesday, he punched out five in four on Sunday. He’s quickly approaching his career-high for innings pitched, so that will be interesting to monitor.
Thomas Harrington
Last Week: 1/1, 1-0, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K
This Season: 12/11, 4-6, 56 IP, 55 H, 5.46 ERA, 23 BB, 53 K
It’s been a tough season for Thomas Harrington, but he put together a fantastic start against St. Paul, punching out 10 batters over six innings while allowing two runs. It’s the third time he’s completed six innings this season, and the first double-digit game of 2025.
Ronaldys Jimenez
Last Week: 2/0, 1-0, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 HB, BB, 8 K
This Season: 8/1, 1-1, 14.1 IP, 9 H, 4.40 ERA, 14 BB, 25 K
Ronalyds Jimenez had 12 walks in 7.2 innings in May but has just two in the 6.2 frames he’s pitched in June. Last week, he picked up his first win of the season and struck out eight in 4.2 innings pitched. That included six in 2.1 innings on June 13th.
Support the site by becoming a paid member, and get access to all of our premium content, including our Top 25 list with complete player write-ups and video breakdowns, which come out weekly.
It will also give access to my player feature articles from on-site trips.
Bucs On Deck is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Would it be possible to add the current team for each player? I probably should know, but other than a few top propsects, I don't