Konnor Griffin got off to a quick start at Single-A Bradenton last year and was promoted to High-A on June 10. The way things are going for fellow first-rounder Seth Hernandez, he might be on an even faster timeline.
The No. 2 Pirates prospect tossed five no-hit innings Friday for Bradenton against Tampa in the longest outing of his very young career. Hernandez struck out eight (tying another career high) and walked two in the scoreless appearance on the road at George M. Steinbrenner Field. He threw 67 pitches, 41 for strikes with 11 whiffs.
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As has been typical through his first three Florida State League outings, the 6-foot-4 right-hander flashed premium velocity Friday, topping out with a 100.0 mph four-seamer on a swinging third strike against JoJo Jackson in the fourth inning. There have been 10 triple-digit fastballs thrown in the FSL this season, and Hernandez is responsible for three of them. His last fastball of the day checked in at 99.6 mph, almost giving him a fourth entrant on that list.
MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 overall prospect averaged 97.0 mph on the four-seamer but was even more effective in getting empty swings against his secondary pitches. His 81-84 mph changeup got four whiffs on six swings, his upper-80s slider got three whiffs on five swings and his 78-81 mph curveball got a whiff on the only swing against it.
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Even when Tampa batters did get the bat on Hernandez’s offerings, it was a lot of weak contact; only two of the batted balls in play exceeded an exit velocity of 95 mph.
Hernandez hasn’t given up a hit in either of his last outings with the Marauders. His season ERA stands at 0.75 ERA through three total starts, and he’s fanned 23 batters and walked only three over 12 innings. His strikeout rate stands at 53.5 percent on the season; entering Friday, no Minor League pitcher had a K rate above 53 percent over 10 or more frames in 2026.
Taken sixth overall last year out of Corona High School, Hernandez was widely seen as the best and most advanced high-school arm in the 2025 Draft class. He continued to generate headlines in his first Spring Training by opening a Spring Breakout game with a 102.4 mph heater that elicited an awestruck reaction from fellow Top 100 prospect Max Clark.
He has the stuff. He has the results. Now if he’s going to find a challenge worthy of his talent, Hernandez might not have much longer left at the Single-A level.