Pirates' Konnor Griffin Earns Minor League Honor

The Pirates took Griffin with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, Miss. They convinced him to forgo his commitment to LSU and he joined on a $6.2 million signing bonus.

Griffin dominated throughout his first season of professional baseball, slashing .333/.415/.527 for an OPS of .942 in 122 games, 161 hits, 23 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, 50 walks to 122 strikeouts and 65 stolen bases on 13 attempts.

He 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.

Griffin played with Single-A Bradenton at the start of 2025, where he slashed .338/.396/.536 for an OPS of .932, with 49 runs, 70 hits in 207 at-bats, 111 total bases, 10 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 26 stolen bases on 30 attempts, 36 RBIs and 15 walks to 53 strikeouts in 2025.

He ranked amongst the best hitters in the Florida State League at the time of his promotion, leading with 207 at-bats, plus total bases, runs, hits and batting average, second in home runs, stolen bases and slugging percentage, tied for second in RBIs and OPS and seventh in on-base percentage.

Griffin earned promotion to High-A Greensboro on June 10 and continued his great play. He slashed .325/.432/.510 for an OPS of .942 in 51 games, with 63 hits in 194 at-bats, 11 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 36 RBIs, 28 walks to 46 strikeouts and 33 stolen bases on 40 attempts.

He had four multi-hit games of his first five contests he played with Greensboro showing his strengths at this level, while also hitting home runs in back-to-back games against the Rome Emperors, the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves on June 14 and June 15.

This earned Griffin South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors for his performances that week, putting him amongst the best in the division early on.

Griffin represented the Pirates at the Futures Game on July 12 at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, featuring the best prospects in baseball, along with outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, who both played for the National League.

He then moved up to Double-A Altoona on Aug. 18 and had a great finish to his regular season, slashing .337/.418/.542 for an OPS of .960 in 21 games, with 28 hits in 83 at-bats, two doubles, five home runs, 22 RBIs, seven walks to 23 strikeouts and six stolen bases on eight attempts.

Griffin also helped Altoona win the Eastern League Southwest Division second half title, putting them in the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and The Athletic named Griffin as the top prospect in baseball in the past two months and Pirates fans hope that he'll make the Opening Day roster for 2026, or comes up pretty early.

Griffin is also up for MiLB Hitting Prospect of the Year, going up against Detroit Tigers top prospect in shortstop Kevin McGonigle, and St. Louis Cardinals top prospect in shortstop/second baseman JJ Wetherholt.