Pirates Giving Star Prospect Opening Day Roster Opportunity

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best prospects in baseball and may have him on the Opening Day roster for next season.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Pirates are "strongly considering" giving Konnor Griffin the opportunity to win the starting shortstop spot ahead of Opening Day in 2026.

Why the Pirates Might Give Griffin a Shot for the Opening Day Roster

Giving a teenager a starting spot on an Opening Day roster is something most MLB teams don't even consider, but Griffin gives himself a solid case for doing so.

The Pirates desperately need hitting next season, coming off of a 2025 campaign, where they had the least home runs (117) and both the worst slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655) in baseball.

Griffin, who consistently hit above .300 from Single-A to Double-A, gives the Pirates an every day bat that they could rely on, especially one that would give them a good amount of home runs as well.

He also has shown great work on defense, with the MiLB Gold Glove Award signifying his strength there.

It also gives the Pirates a chance to put Jared Triolo at third base and keep his glove in the lineup, while also keeping costs down and not spending big on a third baseman, as they still have needs at left field and designated hitter.

The Pirates have also brought players up that didn't play at Triple-A, most recently in right-handed starting pitcher Jared Jones, who made the 2024 Opening Day roster after being at Altoona the season prior.

Why Bringing Konnor Griffin Up Early Might Not Be the Best Move

Passan mentioned that the last teenager that made their MLB debut was Juan Soto, who is a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, four-time All-Star and 2019 World Series Champion.

Griffin, who could eventually reach those achievements himself in the future, is still just 19 years old and that is a lot of pressure to put onto a teenager early on.

The Pirates could also still have him begin at Triple-A Indianapolis and then eventually bring him up later in the season, if he shows he's capable at that level as well.

Griffin still struck out about 25% of the time in 2025, which is a bit high for a player of his caliber, and extra time in Triple-A would give him that chance to work on cutting down his strikeouts.

The Pirates also have to consider service time with Griffin, especially with a lockout looming that may shut down the entire 2027 season.

Griffin, if he was on the MLB roster, would still get a year of service time and then potentially, a shorter time frame before hitting free agency, depending on changes to the new collective bargaining agreement.

Konnor Griffin Has Breakout Campaign in 2025

The Pirates took Griffin with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, but no one would've expected he'd have the season like he did in 2025.

Griffin quickly moved up in the Pirates minor league system. He started out with Single-A Bradenton after a strong showing in Spring Training, moved to High-A Greensboro on June 10, then finished off with Double-A Altoona on Aug. 18.

He slashed .333/.415/.527 for an OPS of .942 in 122 games this season, with 161 hits, 23 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, 50 walks to 122 strikeouts and 65 stolen bases on 13 attempts.

The 19-year old led all of minor league baseball with 117 runs scored and the 19-year old became the first teenage draftee to have a 20-40 season, finishing with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases. He was also the first minor league player to have a 20-60 season since 1982.

Griffin ranked amongst the best players in the minor leagues, including second in runs scored, fourth in batting average, fifth in hits, tied for seventh in RBIs and tied for eighth in stolen bases.

He was the first teenager since Vladmir Guerrero Jr. to hit .333 or better in a minor league season. He is also one of just five teenagers that were a part of the 20-40 club and stole the most bases of that group.

Griffin also played in the Futures Game during All-Star week, honoring the best prospects in baseball. Altoona teammate Esmerlyn Valdez joined him there as well, as the duo represented the Pirates for the National League.

His play eventually led him earning the title of top prospect in baseball, with Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and The Athletic giving him the coveted spot. 

He earned numerous accolades for his play, including Baseball America naming him their Minor League Player of the Year Award and MLB Pipeline naming him their Hitting Prospect of the Year and Debut of the Year.

The Pirates also honored Griffin with the Honus Wagner Player of the Year, given to the best player in their minor leagues, and the Bill Mazeroski Defender of the Year, given to the best defensive player in the minor leagues. 

Griffin also most recently won a MiLB Gold Glove at shortstop. a position the Pirates hope he continues developing at in 2026.