This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PITTSBURGH -- Only 13 players have debuted at 19 years old in the 21st century.
Two of them faced off this weekend in Pittsburgh, as 20-year-old rookie Konnor Griffin returned from the 60-day injured list to take on now 35-year-old, three-time AL MVP Mike Trout. Griffin and Trout talked for an extended time pregame on Saturday, and the two bonded over their exclusive pedigree as Griffin hopes to emulate Trout’s rise.
“It was cool,” Griffin said. “Just love picking his brain. He's one of the best of all time. So just gonna take the time to try to pick his brain, see what I can get from him to help me in my career.”
“The way he plays the game looks like he's just having so much fun doing it,” Trout added of Griffin. “The thrill, the excitement he brings, he can hit the ball out of the ballpark, or he can lay down a bunt and beat it out. So it's a special talent.”
Griffin was 3 years old when Trout was drafted in 2009. He was 8 when Trout won his first MVP. Griffin was 16 when Trout led Team USA as its captain in the World Baseball Classic.
Now, they have squared off for the first time in the Major Leagues. Griffin grew up in Mississippi as a Braves and Ronald Acuña Jr. fan. Though with Trout as the biggest name in the sport for much of his childhood, Griffin, of course, was delighted to meet the Angels' outfielder.
“It's hard to go from a fan of a player to competing against them,” Griffin said. “So just being able to, when we take the diamond, it's all competitiveness. Trying to beat their team, but away from the field it’s pretty cool to make some connections like that, and have a relationship.”
The two connected during the 2025 season as Griffin continued to work through Pittsburgh’s Minor League system and Trout produced a down year with injury struggles. They met through a mutual acquaintance at a baseball card company and have spoken over the phone a few times since.
Saturday was the first time they met in person, fresh off Griffin racing from first to home Friday night for the only run in a 1-0 Pirates victory. Griffin has missed almost three months of his rookie campaign due to injuries, first a right elbow strain and then a torn sagittal band in his left ring finger. During his recent IL stint, he reached out to Trout, asking if he had any advice for him.
“Obviously, the last few years I’ve been through it,” Trout said. “So the way to handle it, it's a new thing for him. It's a tough game on your body. We play a lot of games, and take care of your body.”
Trout was highly impressed watching the Pirates' young phenom make an impact. He added that he can tell Griffin is “legit” and has the build of a shortstop.
Griffin sees Trout’s all-around game and consistency as traits he’d like to emulate. He pointed specifically at the bat-to-ball skills to find gaps.
Griffin and Trout have made adjusting to MLB at such a young age seem quite easy. Griffin was the first to debut at 19 since Elvis Luciano (Blue Jays) in 2019. Other future stars like Bryce Harper, Félix Hernández and José Reyes have done so in the last 25 years.
“I think just staying within yourself, telling yourself it's just the same game,” Trout said of some challenges that come with being in the big leagues at 19. “It's obviously a bigger stage. But when you put pressure on yourself, you try to do too much. That's when things get in trouble.
"So, I mentioned it to him, when I first got called up, the month and a half I was up, I struggled. I grinded. I was trying to do too much. Got out of my approach. When I got sent back down, it was kind of like a wake-up call. Like, OK, now I know what to expect. Now I know when I get called back up, if I get called back up, to know I can change, and that helped me.”
“There's a little bit of everything,” Griffin added. “I came from high school, playing in front of a couple hundred people to go and play in front of 30,000. It's definitely different. It gets the heart pumping a little more, and then it's like the everyday travel of things. You just gotta grow up pretty quick. You gotta be mature to be at this level.”
Griffin first realized he could pull off the rare feat nearing the end of his 2025 season, his first full season as a professional. After a “crazy” season, where he batted .333 across three levels with 21 homers and 65 stolen bases, he “had confidence I could come into the spring and be knocking on the door.”
Griffin not only knocked on the door but broke it down. Now, if he ends up following the path of Trout, the Pirates should be in good hands.