The future was sent over the outfield wall for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. In the top of the second inning of Pittsburgh's spring training matchup against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday afternoon, shortstop Konnor Griffin — the No. 1 prospect in Major League Baseball, according to MLB Pipeline — demolished a curveball from star left-hander Ranger Suarez over the left field wall. Two innings later, faced with an 0-2 count, Griffin launched a home run to left-center field for his second long ball of the game. He finished the day going 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Pittsburgh selected the now-19-year-old Griffin directly out of high school with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He played at three levels of minor-league ball for the Pirates in 2025, appearing in 50 games in Low-A, 51 games in High-A and 21 games in Double-A. In all, Griffin totaled 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases across 122 combined games in 2025, while posting a .333/.415/.527 slash line. He made 88 starts at shortstop, 15 in center field and 18 as a designated hitter. The Pirates are coming off a 71-91 season, their seventh consecutive year with a losing record and 10th consecutive year missing the playoffs. That said, they were active this offseason, acquiring second baseman and two-time All-Star Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays and making a five-player trade with the Red Sox that sent pitchers Johan Oviedo and Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman to Boston for outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and right-hander Jesus Travieso. Pittsburgh also signed first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn (two years, $29 million), designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (one year, $12 million) and reliever Gregory Soto (one year, $7.8 million), among others.
