Last year he went from Low A to High A to AA, batting .333 with a .415 on base percentage and a .527 slugging percentage. He was the first teenager in the minors to hit .333 since Vlad Guerrero, Jr. He scored 117 runs, blasted 21 home runs, drove in 94 runs and stole 65 bases, the first minor league player to have a 20-60 season in 43 years. Griffin went to Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Mississippi.
He is the No. 1 prospect in MLB according to Baseball America, was the 2025 Minor League Player of the Year and scouts, on their 20 to 80 scale, grade him as a 60 hit, 70 power, 80 run and 70 arm. He married his high school sweetheart Dendy Hogan in January. The wedding featured an old school scoreboard “Griffin Field.’’
Again, Griffin turns 20 on April 24.
Here is a word of caution for the Pirates, the last thing you want to do is send a player down when his teammates believe he should be with the major league team. It sets a bad tone for the entire team and will make it seem like it is the Same Old Pirates.
Do the right thing. Have Konnor Griffin with the Pirates from Day 1 and learn to live with the good and the bad. Adjustments will have to be made, that is a way of life in the major leagues. Griffin has the maturity to make those adjustments, and his teammates want him to be part of the Pirates solution going forward. Take a chance on Konnor Griffin. Take a chance on your team. The Pirates have been minor league for way too long and with the continued dominance of Paul Skenes, there is the chance to flip the script.
The Pirates have been pitiful losers for years, to be a winner all you have to do is have baseball’s top prospect in your Opening Day lineup and let the chips fall where they may. No matter how it shakes out, Konnor Griffin will use the experience in his MLB growth.
Give the poor Pirates fans hope for a change. It worked in the long ago past, seven decades ago, and can work again in 2026.
Pirates, pencil Konnor Griffin in as your Opening Day shortstop.