04/03/26 01:25:00
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04/03 13:23 CDT Konnor Griffin, a big leaguer at 19, is eager to shed the 'top
prospect' label in Pittsburgh
Konnor Griffin, a big leaguer at 19, is eager to shed the 'top prospect' label
in Pittsburgh
By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- Konnor Griffin endured plenty of emotions when the
19-year-old shortstop learned the Pittsburgh Pirates were calling him up to the
majors just a week into the season.
Shock was not one of them.
"I'm ready for this," Griffin said Friday, just hours before making his major
league debut against Baltimore at PNC Park.
The Pirates are betting big on it, making Griffin the first position player to
arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it in
Washington in 2018.
Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024
first-year player draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a
No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the
seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles.
On the surface, it seems fast. The reality is that Griffin checked every box
--- and checked every box quickly --- while sprinting through the Pirates'
system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful
of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt like Griffin was "pressing" near the end of
spring training, when Griffin smashed three homers but also hit just .171. The
club made Griffin one of the last cuts before the opening day roster was set.
Yet rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A, made a couple of adjustments, and
saw immediate results.
"He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple
of days," Kelly said. "Which again, for anybody, is really impressive,
especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big
leagues."
That doesn't make Griffin unlike the millions of kids who pick up a bat when
they're in elementary school. It's everything that has come after it, however,
that has set Griffin apart. He raced through the lower levels of the minors
last year, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs, and stealing 65 bases while
showcasing the range to play one of the game's most demanding defensive
positions.
Yet it's not just the tangible on-field things that won the organization over.
Griffin has long carried himself with the maturity of someone far older. He
married his high school sweetheart, Dendy, over the winter. And she was the
first one he told after Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to
his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to The
Show.
The next 24 hours were a blur. From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh
to the scramble for the Mississippi native's family to make it to the ballpark
that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.
Finally, just after noon, Griffin was able to relax. He trotted out to
shortstop and took grounders, his frame and arm making him look very much the
part of the role he's been preparing for since he was 5.
Griffin's skillset has drawn comparisons to the likes of Hall of Famer Cal
Ripken Jr., heady territory for someone less than two years removed from his
high school graduation. Still, he's not getting ahead of himself.
"Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build," he said.
"And I'm ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys."
Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from
reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to
catcher Henry Davis.
The future that's been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was
hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the
club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant
upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon
Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated
hitter Marcell Ozuna.
"This team is loaded," Griffin said. "I get to come in here and just be a piece
of this puzzle."
Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have
engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of
the next decade.
Griffin demurred when asked about it on Friday, though he made his intentions
very clear.
"All I'm going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time," he said.
"This is a special place and I'm thankful to be here."
Perhaps most importantly because it means he can shed the "top prospect" label
and stop focusing so much on his individual development and instead turn his
attention to helping the Pirates make a playoff push for the first time since
the mid-2010s.
"Now it's time to take all the skills that I've learned," he said, "all the
adjustments I've made. It's time to go put them on the field and go win some
games."
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
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