Pirates Prospect Duo Earn Weekly Recognition

The Pirates promoted Griffin from Single-A Bradenton on June 10 and he had a sensational series against the Rome Emperors, the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.

He slashed .407/.469/.778 for an OPS of 1.247, with 11 hits in 27 at-bats, two home runs, four doubles, eight RBIs, three walks to two strikeouts and six stolen bases on seven attempts in six games.

Griffin had four multi-hit games of his first five contests he's played in at High-A, showing his strengths at this level, while also hitting home runs in back-to-back games against Rome.

He earned South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors for his performance, already putting him amongst the best prospects in the division.

The Pirates promoted Griffin to Greensboro on June 10, after a strong showing at Single-A Bradenton this season.

Griffin starred with Bradenton, slashing .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, 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 has also mostly played at shortstop, starting 32 of his 49 games with Bradenton and six of seven games with Greensboro there this season, while also serving as designated hitter in nine games for Bradenton and one game for Greensboro, plus and center field for eight games with Bradenton.

He had an incredible month of May, slashing .354/.393/.515 for an OPS of .909, with 35 hits in 99 at-bats, five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 14 RBIs, four walks to 21 strikeouts and 12 stolen bases in 24 games.

MLB Pipeline ranks Griffin, who just turned 19 years old, as the No. 2 prospect in the Pirates system behind right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler, plus No. 34 overall in baseball.

Valdez dominated this week with Greensboro, slashing .542/.633/.833 for an OPS of 1.467 in six games, with 13 hits in 24 at-bats, four doubles, one home run, eight RBIs, five walks to three strikeouts, two stolen bases and one hit-by-pitch.

He has a strong first season at Greensboro, slashing .312/.396/.595 for an OPS of .991 in 62 games, with 74 hits, 17 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and 29 walks to 64 strikeouts.

Valdez leads the South Atlantic League in slugging percentage, OPS, hits, home runs and RBIs, second in batting average and with 237 at-bats, tied for second in doubles, tied for third with 30 runs and ninth in on-base percentage.