By Mark Polishuk
The Pirates announced that star prospect Konnor Griffin has been reassigned to the teamâs minor league spring camp. Barring something surprising like a last-minute contract extension, the transaction seems to confirm that Griffin wonât be part of Pittsburghâs Opening Day roster.
This was probably always the likeliest scenario, as Griffin is still just over a month away from his 20th birthday and has yet to even make his Triple-A debut. Though Griffin crushed Double-A pitching to the tune of a .337/.418/.542 slash line in 2025, those big numbers came in the relatively small sample size of 98 plate appearances over 21 games. In Spring Training action, Griffin showed some big power but not much else, hitting .184/.279/.526 over 43 PA and striking out 11 times.
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If Griffin had dominated the Grapefruit League, the Pirates mightâve felt more compelled to immediately see what the shortstop could do at the Major League level. An Opening Day assignment wouldâve also put the Pirates in line for a potential future bonus draft pick under the Prospect Promotion Incentive plan, though the temptation of an extra pick isnât as important to the Bucs as Griffinâs continued development. For context, the Pirates also didnât bring Paul Skenes up for his MLB debut until May of the 2024 season, even though Skenesâ immediate dominance indicated that he might well have been ready for the Show on Opening Day.
A pre-career extension mightâve also done the trick in getting Griffin to the Opening Day lineup, and last month, both Griffin and the Pirates had some interest in such a deal. Such an extension surely wouldâve topped Jackson Chourioâs eight-year, $82MM pact with the Brewers as the largest deal ever given to a player before his MLB debut, and the New York Postâsâ Jon Heyman writes âand some believeâ the Pirates (never known for their big spending) are comfortable going to such record lengths in a nine-figure contract.
Griffin looks like the kind of special talent that merits this kind of investment. The ninth overall pick of the 2024 draft hit a combined .333/.415/.527 over 563 PA split between the A-ball, high-A, and Double-A levels in 2025, with 21 home runs and 65 steals (in 78 attempts). All of the major scouting outlets have Griffin atop their preseason top-100 prospect rankings, with scouting reports raving about his five-tool skills. Primarily a shortstop, Griffin has dabbled a bit in center field since his athleticism translates so well to either position, and whatever the spot, he looks like a future fixture in Pittsburghâs lineup.
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The Pirates announced that star prospect Konnor Griffin has been reassigned to the teamâs minor league spring camp. Barring something surprising like a last-minute contract extension, the transaction seems to confirm that Griffin wonât be part of Pittsburghâs Opening Day roster.
This was probably always the likeliest scenario, as Griffin is still just over a month away from his 20th birthday and has yet to even make his Triple-A debut. Though Griffin crushed Double-A pitching to the tune of a .337/.418/.542 slash line in 2025, those big numbers came in the relatively small sample size of 98 plate appearances over 21 games. In Spring Training action, Griffin showed some big power but not much else, hitting .184/.279/.526 over 43 PA and striking out 11 times.
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If Griffin had dominated the Grapefruit League, the Pirates mightâve felt more compelled to immediately see what the shortstop could do at the Major League level. An Opening Day assignment wouldâve also put the Pirates in line for a potential future bonus draft pick under the Prospect Promotion Incentive plan, though the temptation of an extra pick isnât as important to the Bucs as Griffinâs continued development. For context, the Pirates also didnât bring Paul Skenes up for his MLB debut until May of the 2024 season, even though Skenesâ immediate dominance indicated that he might well have been ready for the Show on Opening Day.
A pre-career extension mightâve also done the trick in getting Griffin to the Opening Day lineup, and last month, both Griffin and the Pirates had some interest in such a deal. Such an extension surely wouldâve topped Jackson Chourioâs eight-year, $82MM pact with the Brewers as the largest deal ever given to a player before his MLB debut, and the New York Postâsâ Jon Heyman writes âand some believeâ the Pirates (never known for their big spending) are comfortable going to such record lengths in a nine-figure contract.
Griffin looks like the kind of special talent that merits this kind of investment. The ninth overall pick of the 2024 draft hit a combined .333/.415/.527 over 563 PA split between the A-ball, high-A, and Double-A levels in 2025, with 21 home runs and 65 steals (in 78 attempts). All of the major scouting outlets have Griffin atop their preseason top-100 prospect rankings, with scouting reports raving about his five-tool skills. Primarily a shortstop, Griffin has dabbled a bit in center field since his athleticism translates so well to either position, and whatever the spot, he looks like a future fixture in Pittsburghâs lineup.
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