Thursday, March 06

BRADENTON, Fla. – When Konnor Griffin singled in his first Spring Training at-bat on Feb. 23, manager Derek Shelton’s reaction was probably that of many a Pirate fan: initial excitement that he got a knock, then looking up at the scoreboard and seeing the infielder-outfielder was born in 2006.

“Geez, that makes me feel old,” the skipper thought to himself.

Yes, Griffin, the Pirates’ first-round pick in the 2024 Draft, was born in the middle of Daniel Powter’s run at the top of the Billboard charts for “Bad Day.” He’s also the franchise’s No. 2 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline’s updated rankings, and he got to show why these past few weeks. He made a solid first splash in big league camp this year, which included his first professional home run against the Orioles on Saturday.

“Being around the big league team, I’m just trying to learn as much as I can,” Griffin said earlier this Spring Training. “It’s a great opportunity to grow my game and see how things are run at the big league level.”

Griffin’s first big league cameo came to an official end Sunday when he was reassigned to Minor League camp, alongside fellow prospects Termarr Johnson, Anthony Solometo and Jack Brannigan. Griffin did come off the bench for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, entering in the sixth inning in center field.

But as Griffin’s official first run comes to a close, it’s safe to make some takeaways. He has the frame of an NFL tight end. He has a smile on in the clubhouse every day. And that new swing he has been working on has shown some immediate results.

The most obvious change is that everything is speedier. Griffin’s stride forward is faster, he gets to his load more quickly and his swing is more compact. He’s not reinventing the wheel – there’s no need to after he was selected ninth overall and was billed as the top high school prospect in this past Draft – but his brief taste at pro ball last year inspired what he wanted to work on in the offseason.

“You’ve got to be short and quick at the pro level,” Griffin said. “You can’t have too much space in your swing. You can’t be too long. I think it’s been a good offseason of work, and I feel like I’m in a good spot right now. Can’t wait to see how things go in games.”

Most of that work at home was done with Griffin’s father, Kevin (the head softball coach at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss.) and Josh DeMoney, a local baseball instructor. There was plenty of input from the Pirates when Griffin was in the Florida Complex League last year, but their coaching hovered around one key point.

“They just want me to be myself, let my athleticism take over,” Griffin said. “I feel like I’ll be in a good spot from there.”

Griffin has a long journey ahead of him in the Minors, so it’ll be years until he shows up to a Spring Training with a legitimate chance of making the Opening Day team. He’s a work in progress, but he has shown that he’s willing to collaborate and learn, and that those changes could be for his betterment.

“I’m a competitor,” Griffin said. “I just want to win games, and I feel like I’m at my best when I’m trying to help win the game for my team. If I move quickly [through the system], that’s great. That’s what I want to happen. If I go just one step at a time, that’s cool, too. I know it’s a long journey, and I’m a young player. That’s good for me. I want to have fun and try to do what I do every single day.”

Last season, Andrew McCutchen hit 20 home runs in a year for the eighth time in a Pirates uniform, breaking a tie for the second-most seasons with 20+ homers in franchise history with which Hall of Famer?

A) Roberto Clemente
B) Dave Parker
C) Ralph Kiner
D) Barry Bonds

MLB Pipeline released its updated top 30 prospects list, which can be found here. Some prospects who made a significant move up the list include:

RHP Carlson Reed, going from No. 28 to No. 20

INF Jhonny Severino, going from No. 17 to No. 12

RHP David Matoma, cracking the list for the first time

There are always some new faces around LECOM Park for Spring Training, but they don’t get much younger than this. Mitch Keller and his wife, Clancy, welcomed their first son this offseason, and the new Buc was behind home plate Friday to watch his dad pitch.

“It's cool. Definitely brings a smile to my face,” Keller said. “Yeah, I don't really have any other words to describe it. Just pretty special moments." 

The Pirates are waiving fees for tickets through Friday. That includes the hottest tickets this season, like Opening Day, Yinzerpalooza and the Bucco Luau. More information can be found here.

C) Ralph Kiner

Kiner hit at least 20 home runs in each of his seven full seasons with the Pirates and went on to slug 369 in his career, which earned him a spot in Cooperstown in 1975. Willie Stargell has the most seasons in team history with 20+ home runs with 15.

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