Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Konnor Griffin looks poised to begin the 2026 season with immense hype.

MLB.com and Baseball America rank Griffin as the game’s No. 1 overall prospect after he rapidly climbed the minor-league ranks in his first professional year. A scout already set a lofty bar for the 19-year-old before his big league debut.

Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper placed a high floor on Griffin during Wednesday’s “Foul Territory.”

“It will be a disappointment if he’s not like a 10-year, big-league veteran starter, 25, 30, 40 WAR player,” Cooper said.

If that wasn’t enough pressure, Cooper mentioned Griffin alongside a current superstar.

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“I’m not going to tell you that he’s going to be Bobby Witt Jr.,” Cooper said. “But it is that kind of development path we’re seeing. Let’s just say that he’s 75 percent of Bobby Witt Jr. That would still be one of the better players in the major leagues.”

That praise may not be hyperbolic after Griffin hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases across three levels last season. The No. 9 pick in 2024 ended the year at Double-A Altoona, where he registered a .961 OPS in 21 games.

Griffin’s meteoric rise could take him to Pittsburgh before he turns 20 in late April. The Pirates will bring him to spring training as a non-roster invite, seemingly giving merit to a November report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan that they’re “strongly considering” giving Griffin a chance to earn the Opening Day starting shortstop job.

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Pirates general manager Ben Cherington wouldn’t dismiss the possibility earlier this offseason.

“Typically you would see a player like that and think they would benefit from some more time at the upper levels of the minor leagues,” Cherington said in November. “We haven’t made a decision. The great thing about Konnor is, when we put a challenge in front of him, he’s met that challenge. To some degree, we’re going to keep doing that, and to some degree, he’s going to tell us a little bit about what the timeline is.”

More MLB: Pirates Give Konnor Griffin Legit Chance To Make Roster With Recent Move

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