Pittsburgh Pirates SS Konnor Griffin named MLB Pipeline No. 1 prospect

Just ahead of the trade deadline, MLB Pipeline has updated its top prospects list. There is a new No. 1 overall, with Konnor Griffin of the Pittsburgh Pirates earning the honor. This comes after Boston’s Roman Anthony graduates after going through 46 days of service time in the Majors.

“Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin ascends to the top spot midway through his first professional season,” MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis said. “He went ninth overall in the 2024 Draft, in which he had the highest ceiling of any player but also had several teams questioning whether his right-handed swing would work at the big league level.”

Pittsburgh has been known to produce pitching prospects in recent years. Even as the team struggles, plenty of stars are in the rotation. None bigger than Paul Skenes, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Finding outfield players with a ton of potential has been a struggle, though.

Griffin appears to be somebody who the Pirates will be able to count on moving forward. As mentioned, this is just his first full season in professional baseball. Coming out of Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, MS, Griffin was committed to play college baseball with Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers.

Instead, he is carving up A and A+ within the Pirates organization. Griffin has a .331 batting average and an OPS at .924 between the two levels. The 19-year-old has blasted 13 home runs in 320 at-bats, knocking in 55 RBIs while striking out on 77 occasions and walking 31 times.

“Griffin has electric bat speed and well-above-average foot speed, giving him 30-30 upside,” Callis said. “He also has plus-plus arm strength — his fastball was clocked as high as 96 mph when he pitched at Jackson Prep (Flowood, Miss.) — and moves very well at shortstop for a 6-foot-4, 225-pounder. Amateur scouts projected him as a plus defender at short and a Gold Glover in center field.”

This is the first time in MLB Pipeline history for somebody to rise to the top spot in their first professional season. Only Wander Franco, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays, was younger when getting the No. 1 designation.

Even with all the hype, Pirates fans are going to have to wait for Griffin to be up with the Big League ball club. The 2027 season is when Griffin projects to receive the call, having at least another year and a half. At the very least, some excitement for a franchise needing a cornerstone bat.