4 Pirates prospects who possess the best position player tools in the farm system

Fielding and Speed: Konnor Griffin

The Pirates’ first-round pick from 2024 unsurprisingly appears on this list, and he does so representing two of the five tools. Konnor Griffin was considered the highest-ceiling prospect in this year’s draft. His athleticism, combined with his potential to be a 30/30 threat at two different premium positions, makes him one of the most dynamic minor leaguers out there.

Griffin is very fast. He stole 87 bases in 88 attempts this spring. Griffin receives very high praise for his ability to run. MLB Pipeline grades his run tool at 65 on the 20-80 scale. Baseball America is even more bullish, putting him at 70. He can use that speed to both swipe a ton of bases, as we saw this year, as well as cover ground at a very efficient rate.

Speaking of his defense, he easily has the most potential with his glove. The Pirates drafted Griffin as a shortstop, but he can also play center field. Both Pipeline and BA project him as a 60-grade defender. Pipeline states that he has Gold Glove potential in CF, but could easily stick as a plus defensive SS.

One thing of note is that Griffin has the best shot at being a five-tool player out of any Pirates prospect. He has the potential to grow into plus power, projects with an average hit tool, is exceptionally fast, can play two positions very well, and has a powerful arm that can play anywhere. No other position player prospect the Pirates have does as many things right as Griffin does, with very few minor leaguers anywhere matching his ceiling.

Billy Cook is definitely up there with Griffin in terms of both defense and speed. He had +6 defensive runs saved between all three outfield positions and was in the 93rd percentile of sprint speed across all of MLB during his brief taste of big league action. Wyatt Sanford is another talented middle infield defender. Both Jebb and Tsung-Che Cheng are worth mentioning when it comes to the fastest prospects the Pirates have as well. But Griffin can do it all.