In first taste of Double-A, Griffin flashes signature tools
from Alex Stumpf with www.milb.com
ALTOONA, Pa. — Even before he was a first-round pick, a potential phenom or the top prospect in the game, people were already asking Konnor Griffin for autographs. He was only the stud at Jackson Prep when people wanted to get the high schooler’s signature, anticipating he was going to be something special.
Even the most bullish of those kids looking for a John Hancock probably couldn’t have envisioned Griffin setting the baseball world on fire whenever he was still a teenager, though. Not only has he climbed to the top of MLB Pipeline’s prospect chart, he’s risen just as rapidly through the Pirates’ farm system. On Tuesday, he debuted with Double-A Altoona, and at 19 years and 117 days old, he became the youngest player to suit up for the Curve.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Griffin said when asked if he saw himself reaching Double-A this quickly. “I was just ready to get my pro career started and things have been going good, so I’m just thankful to be here.”
Griffin has seen plenty of Double-A ball in his life — his home in Jackson, Miss., is only about 10 minutes away from the Braves’ former affiliate (the Mississippi Braves) — and it didn’t take him long Tuesday to show what he could do at that level, singling in his first at-bat before promptly stealing second. He finished the night 1-for-4 with an RBI.
That steal happened to be his 60th on the season, becoming the first Pirates Minor Leaguer with that many in a season since Manny Ravelo in 2001.
“I started to steal as many bags as I could in high school, and it’s kind of translated over to pro ball,” Griffin said. “I try to be aggressive. I try to get on base and get going.”
Pair that with 16 home runs, a .331 batting average and a .933 OPS this season across three levels, and it’s easy to see why he’s already become must-see TV before he blows out his 20th birthday candle.
“It’s just like popcorn,” Curve manager Andy Fox said. “People pop at different times. He’s just an early popper.”
It didn’t take Griffin too long to start popping in his first full season of pro ball. He showed his extra-base power in Single-A Bradenton early to start the season, but it came with whiffs and strikeouts. He’s steadily cut down on those as the year has progressed, and his walk rate climbed and his strikeout percentage dropped with High-A Greensboro.
The Pirates wanted to see how Griffin would respond to the challenge of High-A, but a potential second promotion was on the radar, too. Griffin’s play made that decision a lot easier, and after 50 games with Bradenton and 51 with Greensboro, he is now in Altoona, just two steps away from the Majors.