Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin made his major-league debut on Friday in the team’s home opener versus the Baltimore Orioles. He drove in a run in his first at-bat, hitting a double for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead in the second inning.
Batting seventh for the Pirates, Griffin came up as the third batter in the bottom of the second. Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish walked Ryan O’Hearn to lead off the frame, followed by Spencer Horwitz striking out.
Against Griffin, after Bradish got ahead on a 1-2 count by throwing sliders, he left a curveball out over the plate that Griffin drove into the left-center-field gap. O’Hearn scored easily.
Griffin came around to score when the next batter, Jared Triolo, followed with a single. The Pirates scored four runs before the inning was over.
Defensively, the rookie made the third out of the first inning, fielding a ground ball by Adley Rutschman and stepping on second base unassisted. Griffin also started a 6-4-3 double play to end the second inning, fielding the ball and flipping it to second baseman Brandon Lowe for the relay to first base.
Ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball by MLB.com and The Athletic, Griffin was the Pirates’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 9 overall) out of Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Mississippi.
Last season in the minors, he advanced from low-A to Double-A. Overall, he hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs, 23 doubles, 94 RBI and 65 stolen bases in 563 plate appearances.
Griffin came into spring training with an opportunity to make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster. But while he hit four home runs, his spring triple-slash of .171/.261/.488 showed he needed some prep time, so the Pirates assigned him to Triple-A. That stint lasted only five games, however, in which Griffin hit .488/.571/.625 across 21 plate appearances.
The team is reportedly nearing agreement with Griffin on a nine-year, $140 million contract extension.
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