Konnor Griffin is probably making his last Minor League step in his trek toward the inevitable.
MLB's No. 1 prospect is officially just one step away from The Show.
Griffin kicked off his Triple-A tenure by reaching base twice and swiping his first bag of the season in Indianapolis' 4-2 Opening Night loss to St. Paul at Victory Field. The 19-year-old singled, walked, scored twice and handled all six chances he had at shortstop flawlessly.
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Coming off a remarkable pro debut in 2025, there was thought Griffin might begin the season in the Majors. Pittsburgh quieted any such thoughts when they reassigned him to Minor League camp on March 21. The ninth overall pick in the 2024 Draft got in on the action immediately, catching a popup by Walker Jenkins (MIN No. 1/MLB No. 14) to start the game.
Batting in his customary leadoff spot, Griffin worked a six-pitch walk to begin the bottom of the first inning and swiped second -- his first stolen base after tallying 65 last season -- before scoring on a single by Endy Rodríguez. The Mississippi native grounded out in his second plate appearance but collected his first Triple-A knock in the sixth, lacing a 102.2 mph grounder into left field and scoring again on another Rodríguez hit.
How long Griffin plays for Indianapolis remains to be seen. Despite hammering four homers and driving in nine runs during Spring Training, the 6-foot-3, 222-pounder struck out 13 times in 46 Grapefruit League plate appearances. Nonetheless, Pittsburgh was enamored with what they saw from their prized prospect, particularly manager Don Kelly.
"When you’re talking about a kid who came into big league camp playing shortstop for the first time ... the talent that you see, I think he handled himself really well, professionally," Kelly said.
Considering his meteoric rise, it's easy to forget Griffin has all of 98 plate appearances above High-A. Even as a top-10 pick, few envisioned the shortstop taking the sport by storm in his first year as a pro. Griffin hit the ground running last year and seemed to get better as the season wore on, moving up three levels and ending up at Double-A Altoona.
For the season, Griffin slashed .333/.415/.527 with 48 extra-base hits, 21 homers, 117 runs and 94 RBIs in 122 games. Unsurprisingly, his performance earned him numerous accolades at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign and put him on the fast track to the Majors, despite the fact he won't turn 20 until next month.