The Pirates’ home opener Friday has some extra buzz.
Pittsburgh is promoting MLB.com’s No. 1 overall prospect, 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, for Friday’s contest against the Orioles, the team announced Thursday via a video tweet.
Griffin’s arrival provides a jolt to a franchise in need of a spark in its attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, and perhaps provides an offensive star to complement ace Paul Skenes.
This is a meteoric rise for the No. 9 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft since Pittsburgh drafted him out of Jackson Preparatory School in Mississippi.
Prep prospects are not usually fast-risers due to their age, but Griffin stood out last year in the minors while spending time in Single-A and Double-A.
He slashed a combined .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases across 122 games.
Griffin did not perform to those capabilities in spring training, although he still managed a .749 OPS and four homers in 20 games, and started the year in the minors.
After hitting .438 with a 1.196 OPS in five Triple-A games, the Pirates deemed him ready.
The franchise hopes he can become the offensive cornerstone and perhaps help eventually end what is now a 10-season drought without playoff baseball.
The Pirates have a solid if not good rotation headlined by perhaps the sport’s best pitcher in Skenes, but their offense lacks young talent that can anchor a lineup.
Bryan Reynolds is a capable veteran, but former Giants top pick Joey Bart hasn’t developed as expected and 2021 No. 1 pick Henry Davis has a career .555 OPS.
By promoting Griffin early in the year, the Pirates possibly can possibly gain a premium draft pick due to the league’s newish promotion rules.
Should Griffin spend 172 days on the active roster, Pittsburgh has a three-year window to benefit.
Griffin would need to finish in the top three in the NL Rookie of the Year voting this season or in the NL MVP race from 2026-28 to gain an extra pick.
The Pirates (3-3) started the season losing two of three to the Mets at Citi Field before taking two of three form the rival Reds.
Friday starts a six-game homestand that includes three with the Padres next Monday through Wednesday.
