Top Pirates Prospect Wins Gold Glove Award

His play all earned him the Bill Mazeroski Defender of the Year, the award the Pirates give to the best defensive player in their minor league system.

Griffin also started 15 games in center field across his campaign, with eight of those starts coming with Bradenton, but his play at shortstop is what earned him the honor.

Griffin Addresses Defensive Capabilities

The 19-year old has a long way to go in his baseball career, but his defensive improvements are a welcoming sign for his future.

Griffin said he put in work with then Pirates minor league infield coordinator Chris Truby in the offseason leading up this past season and in Spring Training, which gave him the confidence to play shortstop.

“It was pretty big. I put a lot of work in at short, starting in the offseason," Griffin said. "Then it really picked up when I got to spring training, working with [Chris] Truby every single day, getting my early work in. He believed in me, that I could be a shortstop full time."

"Once I started believing in myself, that I really could do it at the pro level things kind of took off. I think I played like 90% of the games at short, so I got a lot of experience this year. That was the biggest thing – I needed experience. Once I was able to finish out my first season, it was pretty cool to see the stuff that I did.”

Awards Pile On for Konnor Griffin

Griffin finished his 2025 season with a slash line of .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. He was also the first minor league player to have a 20-60 season since 1982.

He 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.

Griffin is 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.

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 performances, 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 him as the Honus Wagner Player of the Year, given to the best player in the minor leagues.