MLB's top prospect Griffin heads to Pirates' Double-A affiliate

CHICAGO -- The top prospect in baseball is one step closer to reaching Pittsburgh.

Konnor Griffin -- the No. 1 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline -- is being promoted to Double-A Altoona, sources tell MLB.com. It’s his second promotion up the Pirates’ farm system this year in what has been a meteoric rise for the shortstop/center fielder.

Griffin, 19, has slashed .332/.414/.524 with 16 home runs, 72 RBIs and 59 stolen bases this season in 101 games for Single-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro. Those results have only improved with Greensboro, with a .942 OPS and 33 stolen bases on 40 attempts over 51 games in High-A.

“It’s been a pretty impressive run,” general manager Ben Cherington said on his radio show on 93.7 The Fan last Sunday. “He fills up a box score. You look at the box score, and he’s doing this, this and this. … It’s been exciting.”

The ceiling was high for Griffin after he was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 Draft, but the player who was billed as the top prep player a year ago has quickly become the best player in the Minors.

For those who have watched Griffin closely this year, that point is evident.

“He was the best player in the league, without a doubt,” Marauders manager Jim Horner said recently in an interview with MLB.com. “He’s the best player I’ve seen in this league, without a doubt. … He needs game experience at the professional level, but he’s learning so fast.”

The offensive upside of Griffin is immense, graded as having a 55 hit tool, 60 power tool and 70 run tool, according to MLB Pipeline’s scouting grades. The peripherals have only improved as the year has progressed, too. In Greensboro, Griffin cut down on his ground-ball rate while also drawing more walks, helping him reach base more often for steals or just rack up bags quickly with extra-base hits. He came into Spring Training with a retooled swing after working with longtime big leaguer Mark DeRosa, and it has paid dividends.

But perhaps Griffin’s greatest tools, according to Horner, are his baseball “ticker” and work ethic. That was evident when watching him grow on defense.

For example, Horner remembers when infield coach Mendy Lopez came down to Bradenton to help work on what Griffin should do at shortstop on balls in the hole. There are times when the shortstop needs to still charge the ball instead of letting it get deep, which could create an awkward approach angle.

Griffin worked on it with Lopez, and later that same day, he stole a base hit on that exact type of play. He has made just seven errors in 69 games at shortstop, showing that he has been growing in all facets of his game.

“If he wasn’t good at something, he would practice it until he became good at it,” Horner said. “That was evident at shortstop. Not necessarily new to him, but just the nuances of playing shortstop at a professional level and playing center. He was very open to information and he would apply the information immediately. It just means he’s a phenomenal athlete.”

Being promoted twice in one year is rare for any prospect, especially a teenager. When Griffin suits up for Altoona, he will become the youngest player to play for the Curve. At the moment, the record is held by Andrew McCutchen (19 years, 10 months, five days). Assuming Griffin plays Tuesday, he will beat that by over six months.

It also puts Griffin one step closer to the Majors, and seeing how quickly he’s flown through the first half of the farm system, it’s easy to let the mind race about how soon he could be in the Majors. If nothing else, he will be about 85 miles east of PNC Park now, getting tantalizingly close to The Show.

It’ll also be a chance for Pirates fans to see if Griffin really is as advertised.

“He’s all that and a bag of chips, I guess you would say,” Horner said. “He’s going to be fun to watch.”