They watched him dismiss a tee at age 4. Now Griffin's family ready for his MLB debut

PITTSBURGH -- When Konnor Griffin was 4 years old growing up in Flowood, Miss., a suburb of Jackson, his parents took the natural first step for any young ballplayer by signing him up for T-ball. During his first at-bat, baseball’s top prospect walked up to the plate, picked up the tee and promptly moved it away out of the batter’s box.

Griffin immediately rejected the idea of hitting off a rubber stand, and as much as a 4-year-old child possibly could, politely requested a coach pitch to him like a regular player.

“I’m not hitting off the tee. I want you to throw it to me,” his father, Kevin Griffin, recalled his son saying.

The stage may have shifted a bit from that first introduction to the sport, but Konnor Griffin’s competitive spirit, along with his dislike for drills that involve tees, didn't. The infielder spent the two-hour car ride from Columbus, Ohio, to Pittsburgh ahead of his big league debut reflecting on his career. The rest of his family hopped on a flight to Pittsburgh in time for Friday’s 4:15 ET start.

The 19-year-old is the first teenage position player in MLB since Juan Soto debuted with the Nationals in 2018. He’s also the first teenager to debut for Pittsburgh since Aramis Ramirez in 1998. Griffin doesn't turn 20 years old until April 24.

“It’s a lot of emotions, but it's a culmination of all the hard work that Konnor has put in and a lot of different people that have been in his circle over the last several years,” Kevin Griffin said. “To see him get to this point and now achieve a dream, it’s pretty special.”

Kevin Griffin was at the orthodontist with his son and Konnor’s brother, Kaden, when he got the call from Konnor that he was headed to Pittsburgh to make his debut. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary initially, as it was the usual time of day that Konnor typically calls.

Kevin Griffin took a step outside and his weekend plans changed instantly. After Konnor slashed .438/.571/.625 in five games with Triple-A Indianapolis this season, Pittsburgh officially selected his contract Friday morning in time for the afternoon's home opener against Baltimore.

“I could sense the excitement in his voice,” Kevin Griffin said. “When he called, he said, ‘We did it.’ And I was like, ‘No, you did it.’ But we did. We put a lot of hard work in over the years and blood, sweat and tears. Some arguments about different things. He just put his nose to the ground and found a way to get better every single day.”

After Konnor reclassified from the 2025 to the 2024 recruiting class after his freshman season at Jackson Preparatory School, more and more scouts started filing in to watch him compete. It was right around that point when Kevin Griffin's focus shifted from his son being a collegiate prospect to something much, much bigger.

“The first day, when 57 scouts were in the stands, it might have been a little bit overwhelming because he's never had phones and cameras in his face everywhere he went,” Kevin Griffin said. “After, he realized he was just going to be himself and do his normal routine. He wanted to blend his teammates into the process, as well. The scouts really helped ease the pressure because they were so accommodating to him from a young age.”

From there, the accolades began to flood in. Konnor Griffin hit .559 with nine home runs and 87 stolen bases as a senior in 2024, helping lead his school to its seventh consecutive MAIS Class 6A state title. He was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year.

A year later, Konnor Griffin hit .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases across three levels of the Pirates’ farm system. A handful of months after that, the Pirates’ front office felt he was ready to make his big league debut.

Other teenagers to debut in the past 30 years include Bryce Harper (2012) and Adrian Beltré (1998). It’s quite the list to find your son’s name attached to, but Kevin Griffin believes his son has the humility to handle the pressure of being MLB’s next star.

“For Konnor to be compared to them, and he hasn't even seen a pitch at the big league level yet, you wonder where that comes from,” Kevin Griffin said. “But I think Konnor works so hard that he might deserve some of that, but it's not something he goes out and looks for, and nothing he's asking for. He would never say that about himself. But it's very humbling to say the least.”