Former top prospects Skenes, Henderson remind Griffin 'you’re here for a reason'

PITTSBURGH -- The spotlight was entirely on Konnor Griffin as the No. 1 prospect in baseball made his Major League debut on Friday for Pittsburgh's home opener in front of a packed house at PNC Park. But there were other players, in both the Pirates’ and Orioles’ dugouts, who understood exactly what he was going through.

Paul Skenes was No. 3 overall, and the best pitching prospect in baseball, in 2024 when he was summoned to the big leagues for his debut. It was May 11, at home against the Cubs, and as the former No. 1 overall pick in the Draft, the expectations for him to not just dominate, but lift a franchise, were enormous. He was days away from his 22nd birthday, a full two years older than Griffin, and it still was a lot to take in. As a result, he knew better than to get in his new teammate’s ear about the do’s and don’ts of handling a debut, deciding less was more.

“Not too much, because I remember when I showed up on the first day, there’s a lot coming at you,” Skenes said when asked what he told Griffin. “I didn’t want to be another thing coming at him. Basically just said to be himself. You can’t forget that. You’re here for a reason.”

Griffin stayed true to that, smashing an RBI double in his first big league at-bat, driving in the first run in what would be a four-run inning for the Pirates in a 5-4 win over the Orioles. He also scored a run, drew a walk and played a flawless shortstop.

“I’m not a scout, but I think he’s going to be pretty good,” Skenes quipped. “It’s good to have him. He made some nice plays at shortstop. Just super happy for him. Great atmosphere -- probably in part because of him, in part because it’s the home opener -- and he went out there and did what he does. Didn’t try to do too much. He’s a difference-maker. It was very apparent today.”

Skenes is not the only one who has been in similar shoes. Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson was the No. 1 prospect in baseball when he got called up at the end of August in 2022. He was 21 at the time, over a year older than Griffin is now. Baltimore has had a fair share of huge prospect debuts, with No. 1 prospects Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday, both No. 1 overall picks in the Draft, receiving plenty of fanfare when they arrived. Henderson echoed Skenes in reminding Griffin to stay true to himself.

“There's going to be a lot of cameras on you for your first, however long,” Henderson said before the game. “Not only I dealt with it, but Rutsch, and then Jackson Holliday, when he came up. You kind of embrace it, but then make sure you have time to do what you need to take care of.

“I feel just sticking to your routines … is going to help you, because obviously he has the ability, has the talent. It's just a matter of sticking to your routines and not getting caught up in the everyday life of the big leagues. It's always a learning curve, but everything that I've heard and seen, he's got no problem, and I'm sure he's gonna do great.”

One thing young players can get caught up in is being compared to big league greats, and Henderson surely heard his fair share. As flattering as they are, he reminds Griffin to be his own player. Of course, one of the players Griffin’s style of play has been compared to … has been Henderson.

“That’s a pretty cool circle,” Henderson said. “I got to play against him on a backfield game when I was rehabbing last year after spring. It seems like every day he's doing something pretty cool. I'm sure he's going to have a great career up here.”