Latest news with #KonnorGriffin
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Pirates promote top prospect Konnor Griffin to Double A as breakout season continues
Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Konnor Griffin is moving up to Double A, his third level in his first professional season. The 19-year-old shortstop/centerfielder has hit .332/.414/.524 with 16 homers and 59 stolen bases in 101 games divided between the Low-A and High-A levels so far this season. Griffin, the No. 9 pick in last year's draft, recently ranked as the No. 10 prospect in baseball in Keith Law's midseason top-60 MLB prospect rankings. Advertisement The 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of Jackson, Miss., made quick work of the Low-A Florida State League to start the season, hitting .338/.396/.536 in 50 games in a league that has historically favored pitchers. He actually improved at the plate after making the jump to High A, cutting his strikeout rate from 22.94 percent to 19.6 percent and nearly doubling his walk rate from 6.5 percent to 11.97 percent. He also continued to hit for average and power, batting .325/.432/.510 in 51 games. He currently ranks ninth amongst all minor leaguers in stolen bases. There were questions about Griffin's hit tool going into the 2024 MLB Draft, but he's answered those against lower-level pitching. Now he'll get to test his skills against pitchers on average four years his senior. 'Griffin had the best package of tools in the 2024 draft class, potentially 80s in speed, arm strength, and power, but most scouts had serious questions about whether he could hit between the awful competition he faced in Mississippi and the severe arm bar he has at the plate. He has hit unbelievably well given those concerns,' Law wrote in his mid-season prospect ranking. 'The arm bar is still there and a huge concern; maybe he's just so athletic and quick-handed that he can get away with that where others can't.' Due to his size many scouts assumed Griffin would project more as an outfielder long-term, but he has thus far handled the shortstop position better than many expected. He's played nearly 75 percent of his games at shortstop, while splitting his time between center field and DH in his other outings. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
CBS News
25-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Pirates' Konnor Griffin named MLB Pipeline's No. 1 prospect
Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin has been named MLB Pipeline's new No. 1 prospect. Griffin, 19, is the team's first-round pick from the 2024 draft and has shot up several prospect rankings due to his stellar play in Minor League Baseball this season. Griffin earned the honor from MLB Pipeline after the previous No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, officially lost his prospect status after his 46th day of active MLB service time, which is one day more than the maximum for future rookie eligibility, according to MLB's rulebook. The right-handed shortstop has slashed a .331 average with 13 home runs, 55 RBI and 44 stolen bases so far in 2025 play. Griffin and fellow Pirates prospect, outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, were recently named to the National League roster for this season's All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park. Coming into last year's draft, Griffin was rated by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect. Scouts say Griffin has the potential to be a five-tool player, and with at least plus speed, Griffin has 30-30 upside at the major league level.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pirates Prospect Update: Pair in Bucs system named top performers
The Pittsburgh Pirates farm system continues to hit headlines as it remains one of the best in baseball. This week a pair of the team's prospects made waves as Konnor Griffin and Edward Florentino were named Players of The Week in their respective leagues. Griffin was called up to High-A Greensboro on June 10, and since his debut with the club against the Rome Emperors he has been dominating the South Atlantic League. Baseball's 34th-ranked prospect has been lights out at the plate, hitting .407/.469/.778 with the Grasshoppers. He's also added 2 homers and 6 stolen bags, bringing his season totals to 11 and 32. Advertisement Griffin has been one of the best players in the Minor Leagues all season and seems to be living up to his high draft position from a season ago. He has a big league ETA of 2028, but many think it's not out of the question to see Griffin in Pittsburgh before 2027, especially if he continues to dominate like this through his development. This past week saw Griffin gather 11 hits, score 10 runs, and add 8 RBIs to his season total to go along with the aforementioned homers and stolen bases. He also had an OPS of 1.247. Florentino is currently the organization's 23rd overall prospect and is quickly making a name for himself in the Florida Complex League. The 18-year old outfielder has started his season in the FCL strong, after spending last year in the Dominican Summer League following his signing with the Pirates. This season Florentino is batting .349/.430/1.093 with 30 hits and 6 RBIs so far. Florentino earned player of the week honors after gathering 8 hits, 1 home-run, 6 RBIs, while having a batting average of .471 showing off as one of the best with the FCL Pirates. At only 18-years of age, Florentino still has a long way to go before even sniffing Major League play, but considering he's shining this much early on and is ranked as one of the organization's top prospects, it brings a lot of hope to see what his future could be like in Pittsburgh. Advertisement The Pirates opened up the season as the 14th-ranked farm system in baseball, but with the way their prospects are playing, it's reasonable to think that they will move up a couple notches when the mid-season rankings are released. The team currently has five prospects ranked inside the top 100. More from
NBC Sports
12-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Stock Watch: Jac Caglianone, Konnor Griffin headline next wave
We've discussed the perils of overreacting to strong spring training performances, but that doesn't mean dynasty managers should completely ignore everything transpiring in Florida and Arizona, respectively. This week's column examines a trio of hitting prospects — Jac Caglianone, Konnor Griffin and Ryan Waldschmidt — from the 2024 MLB Draft that are making extremely strong impressions in Grapefruit and Cactus League settings. We'll also take a deeper dive into five unheralded prospects — Tirso Ornelas, Alan Roden, Grant McCray, Alejandro Osuna and Harry Ford — on the rise that have a shot at reaching the majors in short order. Jac Caglianone, 1B, Royals Astros standout Cam Smith has been the talk of the Grapefruit League this spring as he prepares to take over as Houston's starting right fielder. Meanwhile, Caglianone is generating some serious noise out in Arizona, hitting .500 (6-for-12) with three homers across 10 Cactus League contests. The 22-year-old slugger was selected sixth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft following a remarkable collegiate career at the University of Florida as a two-way sensation and checked in as the 37th-ranked prospect (194th overall) in Rotoworld's latest dynasty rankings update. There are zero questions surrounding his immense raw power potential, but Caglianone still needs to prove he can make enough contact at the highest level to make the leap from one-dimensional slugger to upper-echelon fantasy force. We're intrigued by his immense talent and will be monitoring his early-season performance in the upper minors extremely closely to see if the swing decisions are palatable enough to give him a shot at success in the big leagues. Konnor Griffin, OF, Pirates There's a strong likelihood that Griffin checks in as a top-10 fantasy prospect at this juncture next spring based on his combination of tools and athleticism. The 18-year-old prodigy, who was selected ninth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, combines double-plus speed with a massive 6-foot-4 frame, which makes it easy to project him growing into above-average raw power. He crushed an impressive no-doubter to right-center field back on March 1 against the Orioles that showed exactly why his future over-the-fence power ceiling is so high. He was selected as a shortstop last summer, but has already moved to the outfield, where he's made some flashy plays already this spring, including a diving catch in the left-center field gap during Tuesday's showdown against the Yankees. He'll be the most significant riser in Rotoworld's forthcoming dynasty rankings update after checking in as the 48th-ranked prospect (235th overall) in the previous installment. He's a borderline top-25 prospect after showing up to spring training in phenomenal shape with a re-worked swing and there's a chance he's in the top-10 range by the All-Star break. The hype is real. Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Diamondbacks The numbers don't leap off the electronic pages, but Waldschmidt has looked extremely impressive this spring in a handful of Cactus League contests, walking three times and only striking out twice in five games. He crushed a gargantuan home run last weekend to left-center field that carried a stratospheric 109-mph exit velocity. It's too small of a sample size to draw any firm conclusions, but it's hard not to be impressed by his spring performance. The 22-year-old outfielder was selected 31st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft following a strong collegiate career at the University of Kentucky and possesses a strong combination of fantasy-relevant tools with respectable plate skills, above-average raw power and plus speed. He played just 14 games last year at Low-A Visalia in his professional debut, but his age and talent mean he's poised to move quickly through Arizona's system. He's going to rise a couple spots after coming in as the 96th-ranked prospect (384th overall) last month in Rotoworld's previous dynasty rankings update. Dark Horses This week's installment features a quartet of young outfielder pushing for spots on season-opening rosters or putting themselves in the conversation for early-season call-ups. We're not anticipating significant fantasy impacts, but they've put themselves on fantasy manager's radar screens, especially in deeper dynasty leagues, with strong spring training performances. The gap between the upper minors and the big leagues feels wider than it's ever been, but these prospects could wind up making an impact at some point soon, especially in deeper leagues. Tirso Ornelas, OF Padres There aren't a ton of roadblocks to a spot on San Diego's season-opening roster for Ornelas after posting a robust .297/.367/.497 triple-slash line with 23 round-trippers and seven steals in 128 contests last year at Triple-A El Paso in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He's competing with the likes of Jason Heyward, Yuli Gurriel, Connor Joe and Eguy Rosario in camp to open the year as the Padres' primary DH against right-handed pitching and should have the edge right now since he's batting .345 (10-for-29) with one homer in 14 Cactus League contests. The 25-year-old outfielder doesn't strike out a ton, and has only whiffed twice this spring in 32 plate appearances, which makes it easy to project him as a strong batting average and power source for fantasy purposes at the highest level. He's an interesting name to watch in deeper formats if he secures an Opening Day roster spot on a contending Padres squad. Alan Roden, OF, Blue Jays There's a realistic path for Roden to break camp in the big leagues with Daulton Varsho still working his way back from last year's shoulder surgery and only light-hitting Myles Straw standing in his way of a bench role. The unheralded 25-year-old prospect has virtually nothing left to prove in the upper minors after hitting .293 with 16 homers and 14 steals in 126 contests last year between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo. He's off to a strong start in Grapefruit League play, hitting .412 (7-for-17) with two homers in 12 games. He offers a little bit of everything from a fantasy standpoint as a surefire high-average contact hitter with double-digit power-speed combo potential in an everyday role. He's the type of high-floor prospect that could thrive this season if he's given a real opportunity with the Blue Jays. He'll be included in Rotoworld's next dynasty rankings update and is worth keeping on watch lists in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats. Grant McCray, OF, Giants There aren't a ton of appealing bench options in San Francisco right now with Luis Matos projected to open the regular season in a fourth outfielder role behind starters Jung Hoo Lee, Heliot Ramos and Mike Yastrzemski. McCray struggled last year in his first taste of the big leagues, hitting .202 with five homers and five steals in 37 contests, but he's shown glimpses of potential this spring in the Cactus League, batting .333 (9-for-27) with one homer and three thefts in 15 games. The 24-year-old speedster figures to be the next in-house option for the Giants as a left-handed hitting outfielder this season if the oft-injured Yastrzemski winds up hitting the injured list. He's never going to help in the batting average department given his strikeout issues, but there's enough power-speed combo goodness there to envision McCray helping in deeper formats. Alejandro Osuna, OF, Rangers Osuna has drawn rave reviews this spring from Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who told reporters last week that he's 'a ballplayer.' The unheralded 22-year-old outfielder has been extremely impressive in Cactus League contests, batting .458 (11-for-24) with two steals in 15 contests, after slashing .292/.362/.507 with 18 round-trippers and 17 thefts in 102 contests between High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco. The presence of veterans Leody Taveras and Kevin Pillar as extra depth behind Evan Carter and Adolis García ensures he'll open the year back in the upper minors, but it wouldn't be shocking if he arrived in Texas later this summer as a potential power-speed source in deeper formats. Harry Ford, C, Mariners Remember him? Ford basically fell off fantasy manager's radar screens last year when he stumbled to a lackluster .249/.377/.367 triple-slash line with seven homers and 35 steals in 116 games at Double-A Arkansas, which is a notorious pitcher's park. The 22-year-old backstop possesses rare speed and athleticism for a catching prospect, which is why he'll be worth monitoring in the coming months as a potential part-time caddy to complement slugger Cal Raleigh. He's off to an encouraging start this spring in Cactus League action, hitting .571 (8-for-14) with one homer and three thefts in seven contests.
