Jump to content

Konnor Griffin

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Konnor Griffin
Griffin with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 6
Shortstop
Born: (2006-04-24) April 24, 2006 (age 20)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 3, 2026, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
(through 2026 season)
Batting average.272
Home runs6
Runs batted in33
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Konnor Thomas Griffin (born April 24, 2006) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft by the Pirates and made his MLB debut in 2026.

Amateur career

[edit]

Griffin attended Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Mississippi, playing for their baseball team as an outfielder and pitcher.[1] In 2023, Griffin batted .537 with eight home runs and 19 stolen bases and pitched to a 7–1 win–loss record with a 1.38 earned run average (ERA).[2] In between his junior and senior year, he played in the High School All-American Game at T-Mobile Park.[3] Griffin reclassified from the 2025 class to the 2024 class and committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college baseball.[4][5]

Professional career

[edit]

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Griffin in the first round, with the ninth overall selection, of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. On July 31, 2024, he signed with the Pirates on a $6.53 million contract, retracting his prior commitment to LSU.[6]

Griffin made his professional debut in 2025 with the Bradenton Marauders. In June, he was promoted to the Greensboro Grasshoppers.[7] He was selected to represent the Pirates (alongside Esmerlyn Valdez) at the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park.[8] In mid-August, Griffin was promoted to the Altoona Curve, with whom he ended his first professional season.[9] Over 122 games among the three teams, Griffin hit .333 with 21 home runs, 94 runs batted in (RBIs), and 65 stolen bases.[10] Baseball America named him their Minor League Player of the Year.[11]

ESPN rated Griffin the No. 1 MLB prospect ahead of the 2026 season.[12] The Pirates invited Griffin to spring training as a non-roster player[13] and reassigned him to minor league camp on March 21, 2026.[14] He opened the season with the Indianapolis Indians with whom he played in five games and had a .438 batting average with three doubles.[15]

On April 3, 2026, the Pirates promoted Griffin to the major leagues for the first time.[16][17] He made his MLB debut that day, also Pittsburgh's home opener, as the Pirates' starting shortstop versus the Baltimore Orioles.[18] He recorded his first MLB hit, a RBI double, in his first at-bat.[18] He became the first teenager to debut in MLB since Juan Soto in 2018 for the Washington Nationals, and the first Pirates teenager to debut since Aramis Ramírez in 1998.[19] Only a week after his major league debut, the Pirates and Griffin agreed on a 9-year, $140 million contract extension.[20] This was the largest guarantee in Pirates history as well as for any player in his rookie season. Griffin hit his first MLB home run on April 24 off of Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff.[21] On May 31, he was placed on the injured list with a forearm strain.[22] On June 24, Griffin began his rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona Curve.[23] On June 26, Griffin was activated from the injured list and reassigned to the Pirates roster.[24][25][26] In his first at-bat since returning from injury, Griffin hit a home run off Andrew Abbott in a 6–4 loss against the Cincinnati Reds.[27] On July 7, Griffin was placed on the 10-day injured list with a torn sagittal band in his left ring finger, and was given a recovery timetable of 8–10 weeks.[28][29] On September 4, Griffin was activated from the injured list.[30]

Personal life

[edit]

Griffin married his high school sweetheart, Dendy Hogan, in January 2026.[31]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Watkins, Scott (March 13, 2024). "The No. 2 baseball player in the nation visited the MS Coast. And left with a rare loss". Biloxi Sun Herald. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Meet Konnor Griffin, 2024 MLB Draft's only high school baseball player ranked in top 10". Sports Illustrated. December 14, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Konnor Griffin to play in High School All-American Game". WLBT3. June 22, 2023.
  4. ↑ "LSU baseball lands commitment from top Class of 2024 prospect". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. December 15, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Jackson Prep's Konnor Griffin, nation's No. 2 recruit for 2024, commits to LSU baseball". The Clarion Ledger.
  6. ↑ Morgenstern, Leo (July 31, 2024). "Pirates Agree To Terms With First Round Pick Konnor Griffin". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  7. ↑ Hiles, Noah (June 9, 2025). "Pirates farm report: Konnor Griffin promoted to High-A Greensboro". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  8. ↑ Chavez, Michael (June 30, 2025). "Mississippi's Konnor Griffin, Braden Montgomery selected to MLB 2025 All-Star Futures Game". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  9. ↑ Stumpf, Alex (August 17, 2025). "MLB's top prospect Griffin heads to Pirates' Double-A affiliate". MLB.com. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ Eddy, Matt (September 16, 2025). "Konnor Griffin Joins Rare Power-Speed Club With 20-40 Season". Baseball America. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  11. ↑ Cooper, J. J. (September 22, 2025). "How Konnor Griffin Compares To Every Baseball America MiLB Player Of The Year Since 1981". Baseball America. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  12. ↑ McDaniel, Kiley (January 27, 2026). "Top 100 MLB prospects for 2026: Griffin, McGonigle, more". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  13. ↑ Stumpf, Alex (February 22, 2025). "Pirates non-roster invites competing for roster spot". MLB.com. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  14. ↑ Mackey, Jason. "Pirates reassign top overall prospect Konnor Griffin to Minor League camp". MLB. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ Dykstra, Sam. "By the numbers: Konnor Griffin's monster potential". MLB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  16. ↑ Mackey, Jason. "Top MLB prospect Konnor Griffin set to debut in Pirates' home opener Friday". MLB. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ Mayo, Jonathan. "What to expect from top overall prospect Griffin in Majors". MLB. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  18. 1 2 "Griffin helps Pirates raise Jolly Roger with RBI double in 1st career AB". MLB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  19. ↑ "They watched him dismiss a tee at age 4. Now Griffin's family ready for his MLB debut". MLB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  20. ↑ Passan, Jeff (April 8, 2026). "Sources: Konnor Griffin agrees to 9-year, $140M deal with Pirates". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Griffin's 20th b'day bash: First HR, first 3-hit game (but no bounce house)". MLB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  22. ↑ Stepansky, Aiden. "Star rookie Griffin (forearm strain) to IL, but Bucs think he'll be back soon". MLB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Pirates' Griffin (forearm) to begin rehab at Double-A Altoona". www.espn.com. June 23, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Konnor Griffin Making Return to Pirates". Pittsburgh Pirates On SI. June 26, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  25. ↑ TribLIVE. "Pirates activate rookie SS Konnor Griffin from the IL, option Jack Brannigan to Altoona". triblive.com. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Pirates activate Konnor Griffin from the IL, providing much-needed reinforcements". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  27. ↑ Stepansky, Aiden (June 26, 2026). "Griffin slugs leadoff HR in 1st AB back, joins Mantle on exclusive list". MLB.com. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  28. ↑ Stepansky, Aiden (July 7, 2026). "Griffin out until early September with torn finger tendon". MLB.com. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Pirates lose SS Konnor Griffin for 8-10 weeks with finger injury". www.espn.com. July 7, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Pirates Reinstate Konnor Griffin, Designate Christian Bethancourt For Assignment". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Pirates' Konnor Griffin Celebrates Major Life Milestone". Pittsburgh Pirates On SI. January 19, 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Konnor_Griffin&oldid=1377464662"