Konnor Griffin continues to prove he belongs.
The 19-year-old Pirates phenom -- MLB Pipeline’s top overall prospect -- wasted no time in slugging his third home run of Spring Training in Sunday’s 6-1 win over the Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla.
On just the second pitch he saw in his first at-bat of the day, the young shortstop hammered a hanging sweeper from St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy 408 feet to center field. The two-run dinger left Griffin’s bat at 107.8 mph, according to Statcast.
Griffin, the Pirates’ first-round pick at No. 9 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, keeps showing prodigious power throughout Grapefruit League play, even against established Major Leaguers. He homered off new Red Sox starter Ranger Suárez on Feb. 24, then added a second dinger in the same game before his two-run clout off Leahy on Sunday.
In fact, all three of Griffin’s hits so far this spring have left the ballpark -- a rarity for a player his age. That trio of homers are the most by a teenager in a single MLB Spring Training in at least the past 20 years. The Mississippi native won’t turn 20 years old until April 24, by which point he might already have several weeks of regular-season MLB experience under his belt.
If Griffin keeps playing like this -- he’s slugging .857 with a 1.124 OPS through six Spring Training games -- it will be hard for the Pirates to keep him off the club’s Opening Day roster. But regardless, Griffin is set to make a major impact whenever he makes his big league debut.