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PIT • Pitcher • #45
18 days ago
This move was reported yesterday, but is now official. Griffin, the top prospect in baseball, will bat seventh and play shortstop in his major league debut in the Pirates’ home opener on Friday against the Orioles. He is worth adding in any fantasy leagues where he is still on the waiver wire
PIT • Pitcher • #45
19 days ago
Olney adds that the two sides are still finalizing the contract. The sport’s best prospect appears to be settling in for a long stay by the Allegheny. The easy comparison is to the eight-year, $130 million deal that Roman Anthony signed in August. We expect Griffin to be in a high spot in the order on Friday during his debut, and he should be a mainstay for the Pirates for years to come based on the contract. He needs to be rostered in any leagues where he is still available.
Source: Buster Olney
PIT • Pitcher • #45
19 days ago
Olney adds that the two sides are still finalizing the contract, which figures to get across the finish line before Griffin’s major-league debut on Friday. The sport’s best prospect appears to be settling in for a long stay by the Allegheny. The easy comparison is to the eight-year, $130 million deal that Roman Anthony signed last August. Griffin profiles as a top-of-the-order table-setter for the Pirates right away and will pair with ace Paul Skenes as the franchise’s cornerstones for years to come. The 19-year-old prodigy batted .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers and 65 steals in 122 games last year in his professional debut. He’ll be the youngest position player to reach the big leagues since Juan Soto back in 2018. He needs to be rostered in any fantasy leagues where he is somehow still available.
Source: Buster Olney
PIT • Pitcher • #45
19 days ago
The move is not yet official because the Pirates don’t play until Friday, but they tweeted it out on their official team account, so we know this is for real. Griffin seemed poised to make the Opening Day roster at the start of spring training, but he struggled to make consistent contact and wound up being sent to Triple-A, where he went 7-for-16 (.438) to start the season with three steals and a 4/5 K/BB ratio in five games. That was enough for the Pirates to call him up in time for the home opener on Friday against the Orioles. Griffin is not on the 40-man roster, so a move will need to be made before he is promoted.
Source: Pittsburgh Pirates
PIT • Pitcher • #45
19 days ago
According to multiple reports, the 19-year-old prodigy is negotiating with the Pirates on a long-term contract extension, which would likely expedite his timeline to the majors. He’s hitting .438 (7-for-16) with three doubles, three steals and a 5/4 BB/K ratio through five games at Triple-A this season. It’s worth noting that Pittsburgh’s home opener is on Friday and having Griffin at shortstop would make it one of the franchise’s most anticipated games since Paul Skenes debuted earlier this decade. His dynamic power/speed combination makes him an immediate five-category impact fantasy contributor once he arrives in the big leagues.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
20 days ago
As Olney reported, the two sides have been talking since early in spring training, with the Pirates’ proposals being “closer in range to the eight-year, $111 million deal that Corbin Carroll signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the spring of 2023.” Back in spring, Griffin’s side was looking “for something closer to Roman Anthony’s eight-year, $130 million deal” with the Boston Red Sox last August. If the Pirates called up Konnor Griffin before April 8th, they would still be eligible to earn an extra draft pick if Griffin were to win the NL Rookie of the Year. A contract extension could add extra incentive to make that a reality.
Source: ESPN.com
PIT • Pitcher • #45
20 days ago
Griffin is hitting an absurd .462 (6-for-13) with two doubles and two steals through four games in his first taste of Triple-A at just 19 years old. The top fantasy prospect left in the minors by a wide margin, he has a chance to force his way to the big leagues in the coming weeks with a strong early-season showing, much like Nick Kurtz did with the Athletics last year. His power/speed combination, athleticism, and rapid ascent have the look and feel of a potential generational talent, which doesn’t feel hyperbolic to suggest given his trajectory.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
22 days ago
Griffin’s doubles left his bat at 113 and 102 mph. He’s 5-for-10 with three walks and two steals in the very early going here. The Pirates could still give him a quick callup and be eligible to receive a draft pick in the event that he makes a Rookie of the Year bid, but given that they made their choice this spring, it’s quite a bit more likely that they’ll keep him in the minors until May or June.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
24 days ago
It was easy to forget that Griffin had never played a game at Triple-A during all of the fanfare around him this spring. He wasted no time making an impact out of the leadoff spot with a first inning walk and stolen base before coming around to score just after. He smacked a 102 mph single through the hole later on as well and looks like he’ll be able to handle this level just fine.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 1 month ago
Griffin hit just .184 in his Grapefruit League action, but he was able to hit four homers and had some exceptional exit velocities during his time in big-league camp. There’s reports that the two sides are working on a long-term extension, but he’ll almost assuredly begin the season in the minors. Griffin is one of the few prospects in baseball who is worth rostering in redraft leagues even if he is opening the season in Triple- or Double-A.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 1 month ago
Griffin hit just .184 in his Grapefruit League action, but he was able to hit four homers and had some exceptional exit velocities during his time in big-league camp. There’s reports that the two sides are working on a long-term extension, but he’ll almost assuredly begin the season in the minors. Griffin is one of the few prospects in baseball who is worth rostering in redraft leagues even if he is opening the season in Triple- or Double-A.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 1 month ago
Mayo adds that the two sides have discussed a potential nine-year deal worth more than $100 million. Griffin, the consensus top prospect in baseball, was the talk of the Grapefruit League earlier this spring and remains in the mix to break camp as Pittsburgh’s starting shortstop. The 19-year-old phenom would become just the 18th teenage position player to reach the majors in the past 40 years, and only the sixth since 2005, according to Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper. He would be the first to debut on Opening Day since Ken Griffey Jr. back in 1989. A long-term agreement would remove any financial obstacles to him starting the year in the big leagues. His sky-high power/speed combo following a 20-homer, 60-steal campaign in the minors last year gives him one of the highest ceilings of any player available outside the early rounds of fantasy drafts this spring.
Source: MLB.com
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 1 month ago
The 19-year-old phenom made the Pirates avoid a shutout in this one, clobbering a 403-foot (102.5 mph EV) solo shot off of Luis Guerrero to lead off the ninth inning. He has hit just .212 (7-for-33) overall on the spring, but four of those seven hits have left the yard. It remains to be seen if he’ll be the Pirates’ starting shortstop on Opening Day or if he’ll get at least a few more weeks of seasoning at the Triple-A level first.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 1 month ago
Griffin has been the story of the Grapefruit League this spring, embodying the modern acceleration of elite prospects toward the big leagues. The 19-year-old phenom may not break camp with Pittsburgh, but his timeline feels compressed. According to Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper, Griffin could become just the 18th teenage position player to reach the majors in the past 40 years — and only the sixth since 2005. That context matters. Teenage arrivals aren’t normal; they’re blockbuster events. Griffin’s rare power/speed blend gives him legitimate league-altering upside once he’s established, but in redraft formats the uncertainty surrounding his debut, and how he’ll acclimate to everyday life in the majors at such a young age, keeps him in the speculative middle rounds — the kind of pick where you’re drafting on potential and ignoring the calendar.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 2 months ago
Griffin got the scoring started by clubbing a hanging sweeper from Kyle Leahy 408 feet at 108 mph off the bat for his third home run of the spring. It’s also only his third hit of the spring, as Griffin has now gone 3-for-15 in six games. He also has only two strikeouts, but has yet to draw a walk. There are certainly still some areas for the game’s top prospect to work on, but Griffin has prodigious raw tools and is making it hard for the Pirates to deny him a spot on the Opening Day roster.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 2 months ago
Griffin had a 108-mph groundout and a 100-mph lineout to right, so even if the results weren’t there, it was a decent day for the 19-year-old. So far, the two homers he hit Tuesday are his only hits in 11 at-bats.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 2 months ago
Right now, the Pirates are deciding whether or not to carry the 19-year-old phenom on their opening day roster, but signing him to a long-term extension would take service time out of the equation and all but assure he is their opening day shortstop. Last season, number one prospect Roman Anthony signed in eight-year, $130 million extension with the Red Sox months after debuting. However, Anthony is two years older than Griffin, so we should expect any contract that Griffin signs to be for more money.
Source: ESPN.com
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 2 months ago
This development carries real fantasy weight, as a long-term agreement would effectively remove the lingering service-time calculus that could keep Griffin off Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster. The 19-year-old prodigy has been the story of the Grapefruit League after a two-homer eruption against the Red Sox earlier this week. There’s little historical precedent for a teenager reaching the majors with just 21 games above High-A — Juan Soto in 2018 represents the most recent example — but Griffin’s extraordinary power/speed blend gives him a chance excel right away. If this spring is any indication, his fantasy stock isn’t just rising; it’s skyrocketing.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 2 months ago
Not a bad way to get your first two hits in MLB spring training. After going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in his first two games, Griffin got the scoring started by taking a hanging curveball from Ranger Suarez and hitting it 374 feet for a two-run home run. He then followed that up with a 440-foot solo home run off Seth Martinez that left the bat at 112 mph. Through three games, we’ve seen both the pure talent of Griffin and also the steep learning curve that is going to come for a 19-year-old who has just 98 plate appearances at Double-A. It remains to be seen how aggressive the Pirates want to be with him, but more days like this will force their hand.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 2 months ago
Not a bad way to get your first two hits in MLB spring training. After going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in his first two games, Griffin got the scoring started by taking a hanging curveball from Ranger Suarez and hitting it 374 feet for a two-run home run. He then followed that up with a 440-foot solo home run off Seth Martinez that left the bat at 112 mph. Through three games, we’ve seen both the pure talent of Griffin and also the steep learning curve that is going to come for a 19-year-old who has just 98 plate appearances at Double-A. It remains to be seen how aggressive the Pirates want to be with him, but more days like this will force their hand.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
about 2 months ago
Griffin, widely viewed as the game’s No. 1 prospect, had a weak groundout in his first at-bat, but his remaining two balls in play were a 105.6-mph, 397-foot fly to center and a 109.1-mph lineout to right field. Griffin will likely need a pretty spectacular spring to make the Pirates. This won’t help the statline, but it was a good day for the 19-year-old.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
2 months ago
Kelly didn’t say that it wouldn’t happen, but he did remind reporters that Griffin has “only had a handful of at-bats at Double-A.” This may be a tactic to keep pressure off MLB’s top prospect, but it’s also not incorrect. Griffin is only 19 years old and has just 98 total plate appearances at Double-A. Asking him to make the jump to face big league pitchers is certainly a tough ask, but he may just be capable enough to respond to it. There is plenty of time for Griffin to win a job in spring training, but it would behoove fantasy managers drafting now to remember that the Pirates don’t generally rush their prospects to the big leagues, and Griffin has a tall task ahead of him to make the Opening Day roster
Source: Andrew Fillipponi
DET • Pitcher • #45
2 months ago
Pilkington could have stayed with the Nationals after going unclaimed on waivers last week, but he’s instead joining a superior team that has much less room for him. The 28-year-old Pilkington has a 3.97 ERA in 11 starts and 37 relief appearances as a major leaguer, though all of those starts came with the Guardians in 2022. He had a 4.45 ERA in 28 1/3 innings out to the pen for the Nationals last season.
Source: Jon Heyman
PIT • Pitcher • #45
3 months ago
There hasn’t been any doubt, but now it’s official that Griffin will be at camp. Given the Pirates’ history, it seems unlikely that he’ll have much of a shot at winning the shortstop job prior to Opening Day, but he could well prove to be the best man for the job at age 19 (he turns 20 in April). Griffin hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers and 65 steals between high-A and Double-A last season, and he is widely regarded as the game’s No. 1 prospect.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
5 months ago
Griffin is the top prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline and many other rankings sites. He’s just 19 years old, but he hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 steals in his first professional season after Pittsburgh drafted him 9th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. As Passan notes, the last teenager to debut in the majors was Juan Soto back in 2018, and the Pirates are certainly not a win-now team, so it feels unlikely Griffin will actually open the season as the team’s shortstop, but he may not be that far away.
Source: ESPN.com
PIT • Pitcher • #45
8 months ago
Griffin continues to cement his status as the top prospect in the fantasy landscape as he’s only the second minor leaguer to record a 20-homer, 60-steal campaign in the last two decades. The 19-year-old prodigy, who has gone deep seven times in his last seven games at the Double-A level, is slashing a sublime .329/.415/.529 with 112 runs scored, 20 home runs, 90 RBI and 65 stolen bases across 116 games. He’s on track to reach Pittsburgh at some point during the 2026 season.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
8 months ago
Griffin continues to solidify his case as the game’s top fantasy prospect, becoming just the second minor leaguer in the last two decades to post a 20-homer, 60-steal season. The 19-year-old phenom has homered four times in his last seven Double-A games and is slashing an eye-popping .329/.415/.529 with 112 runs, 20 homers, 90 RBI, and 65 steals across 116 contests. He’s currently on track to debut in Pittsburgh sometime in 2026.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
8 months ago
Griffin’s rapid ascendance has him in the proverbial driver’s seat to finish his professional debut as Rotoworld’s top-ranked dynasty prospect. The 19-year-old phenom, who figures to arrive in Pittsburgh at some point next season, went deep for the first time at the Double-A level on Friday night and is now batting .353 (12-for-34) in nine games since being promoted earlier this month. He’s up to 44 extra-base hits, including 18 home runs, and 64 stolen bases in 110 games across three minor-league level this season. Unreal.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
8 months ago
Rotoworld’s top-ranked dynasty prospect heading into the home stretch of the 2025 campaign, Griffin has shown zero signs of slowing down in his professional debut. The 19-year-old phenom collected three hits in his third game at the Double-A level to notch his 18th contest with a least three hits this season. He’s recorded a stratospheric .331/.410/.517 triple-slash line with 41 extra-base hits and 60 stolen bases across three minor league level this season. It’s not out of the question that he could ascend to the majors at some point during the 2026 campaign.
PIT • Pitcher • #45
8 months ago
Rotoworld’s top-ranked dynasty prospect heading into the home stretch of the 2025 campaign, Griffin has shown zero signs of slowing down in his professional debut. The 19-year-old phenom collected three hits in his third game at the Double-A level to notch his 18th contest with a least three hits this season. He’s recorded a stratospheric .331/.410/.517 triple-slash line with 41 extra-base hits and 60 stolen bases across three minor league level this season. It’s not out of the question that he could ascend to the majors at some point during the 2026 campaign.