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Major League Baseball's apical imaginable has arrived.
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced connected Thursday that shortstop Konnor Griffin will make his awesome convention debut successful nan team’s location opener against nan Baltimore Orioles connected Friday.
Griffin, who turns 20 connected April 24, was selected pinch nan No. 9 wide prime successful nan 2024 MLB Amateur Draft from Jackson Preparatory School successful Flowood, Mississippi.
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Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin celebrates aft hitting a two-run location tally against nan St. Louis Cardinals during nan first inning astatine Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium successful Jupiter, Florida, connected March 1, 2026. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
Griffin began his insignificant convention profession successful 2025, spending 50 games successful Low-A (Bradenton), 51 games successful High-A (Greensboro), and ending pinch 21 games successful Double-A (Altoona). Across 122 insignificant convention games, Griffin deed .333 pinch 21 location runs and 94 RBI and 65 stolen bases.
The Mississippi autochthonal impressed successful outpouring training this year, hitting 4 location runs successful 16 games.
Despite his awesome outpouring training showing, nan Pirates sent Griffin down to Triple-A to statesman nan season. However, Griffin continued his basking hitting pinch 7 hits successful 16 at-bats and 3 stolen bases, prompting nan squad to telephone him up.
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Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin returns to nan dugout during nan 2nd inning against nan St. Louis Cardinals astatine Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium successful Jupiter, Florida, connected March 1, 2026. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
If Griffin remains connected nan squad for nan remainder of nan play and plays well, nan Pirates tin beryllium rewarded. In 2022, The Prospect Promotion Incentive was established to discourage work clip manipulation truthful teams would not clasp apical prospects successful nan minors.
If nan apical imaginable accrues a afloat twelvemonth of service-time and wins Rookie of nan Year aliases finishes apical 3 successful MVP/Cy Young voting, nan squad gets an other draught prime astatine nan extremity of nan first round.
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Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Konnor Griffin bats during nan 4th inning against nan Toronto Blue Jays astatine LECOM Park successful Bradenton, Florida, connected March 21, 2026. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)
The Atlanta Braves sewage a compensatory prime erstwhile catcher Drake Baldwin won National League Rookie of nan Year past season. The Pirates dream Griffin will make an instant effect pinch nan dream being that it mightiness consequence successful an other first-round prime for them.
The Pirates (3-3) play the Orioles (3-3) connected Friday astatine 4:12 p.m. ET.
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Ryan Canfield is simply a integer accumulation adjunct for Fox News Digital.
