Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, baseball's No. 1 prospect, hits RBI double in first MLB at-bat
Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, baseball's No. 1 prospect, hits RBI double in first MLB at-bat
Ian CasselberryFri, April 3, 2026 at 11:03 PM UTC
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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. The Pirates went on to win, 5-4.
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 at shortstop, Griffin made the third out of the first inning, fielding a ground ball by Adley Rutschman and stepping on second base unassisted. He 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.
Leading off the fourth, Griffin drew a walk in his second plate appearance. He laid off sliders and sinkers from Bradish, who continued to work the rookie outside. Then facing left-hander Dietrich Enns in the fifth, Griffin made his first ABS challenge when he was called out looking on a changeup low and inside. The call was overturned. But Griffin struck out swinging two pitches later on a high, inside 95 mph fastball.
In his final at-bat of the day, Griffin grounded out on a comebacker to pitcher Rico Garcia, who flipped to Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso for the out.
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Altogether, Griffin batted 1-for-3 in his MLB debut with an RBI and run scored. He also walked and struck out. Oneil Cruz, O’Hearn, Triolo and Henry Davis each driving in runs. Mitch Keller allowed two runs and four walks over six innings to earn the win.
Gunnar Henderson cut Pittsburgh’s lead to one run in the ninth inning with a solo home run off Gregory Soto. Soto recovered to strike out Alonso on three pitches to close the game out.
Griffin, who turns 20 on April 24, is the first teenager to make his MLB debut since Juan Soto did so with the Washington Nationals in 2018. For the Pirates, Aramis Ramirez debuted as a 19-year-old in 1998.
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.
Source: “AOL Sports”
