Did the Pirates make the right call by drafting Konnor Griffin?

After the results of Tuesday’s MLB Draft Lottery, the Pittsburgh Pirates will have the sixth overall pick in next year’s draft. As of now, the Washington Nationals are projected to select either Ethan Holliday or Jace LaViolette first overall. The Pirates will look to continue to fill their system with top-end talent, following their selection of Konnor Griffin, a prep shortstop widely considered to be the top high school prospect, with the ninth pick in 2024. There’s a lot to like about him, and many praised the Pirates organization for going the "best available player" route.

However, while Griffin’s potential remains sky-high, it’s worth considering if this was the right move, given how the Pirates' season concluded. A few days after the draft, Paul Skenes started the All-Star game for the National League in Arlington. By then, we knew Skenes was the real deal and the right choice to make in the 2023 draft. He won the NL Rookie of the Year award, and looks to compete for the Cy Young in 2025. Still, the clock is ticking.

Skenes won’t be in Pittsburgh forever. We all know this. Therefore, the Pirates should maximize this window to compete while he remains a Pirate, however long that may be. Easier said than done, right? While free agency and the trade market provide teams with the opportunity to immediately improve their rosters, the draft is another important component of creating a World Series contender. In recent years, the Pirates have drafted both college and high school players, with varying levels of success. Henry Davis, like Skenes, was selected first overall, but has not lived up to the billing thus far. Termarr Johnson has shown promise, but remains in the minors. Nick Gonzales had a nice rookie season, and will hopefully continue this upward trend in 2025.

While we shouldn’t expect much from the Pirates’ front office, they still have the chance to add another impact player when the time comes next July. They must select a college bat in 2025. Potential options include outfielders Brendan Summerhill of Arizona, Max Belyeu of Texas, and Cam Cannarella from Clemson. A lot can change over the course of a season, so there will be plenty of others available worthy of selection. What they could really use is 2025’s version of Wyatt Langford. Langford was drafted fourth overall in 2023 out of Florida, and quickly made his way through the Rangers' system before debuting this year. He had a great rookie season as the Rangers’ primary left fielder, with 16 home runs, 74 runs batted in, and 19 stolen bases, all good for 3.9 bWAR. Pittsburgh needs a jolt in their lineup from a player like him as soon as possible.

Pirates should draft college contributor in 2025 MLB Draft's first round

Getting back to Griffin, it’s easy to see why the Pirates took him. He was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year for baseball in 2024, leading the Jackson Prep Patriots to several Mississippi state championships, while putting up video game-like numbers. With the ninth overall selection, the Pirates could have gone a number of directions. While it would seem unthinkable to pass on Griffin’s elite, five-tool potential, some thought differently. Braden Montgomery would have been a logical choice. If not for the ankle injury at Texas A&M that ended his season prematurely, he would have likely been taken ahead of where Griffin ended up. James Tibbs III, out of Florida State, was also another popular choice for the Pirates in mock drafts.

Konnor Griffin did not see any playing time in the minor leagues in 2024. A few noteworthy college bats taken after him have, such as Cam Smith of Florida State and Carson Benge of Oklahoma State. Smith was taken 14th overall by the Cubs and has already reached Double-A Knoxville. In 32 minor league games across three levels, he hit .313 with seven home runs, and had an OPS of 1.004. Smith is primarily a third baseman, with some games spent as the DH. Benge, an outfielder taken by the Mets with the 19th selection, has played only 15 games for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets. He is ranked as the Mets' fifth-best prospect. Smith is listed as the Cubs’ seventh-best. They both are included in MLB’s Top 100, with Smith at 73 and Benge at 99, behind Griffin at 50.

There is a strong possibility that Konnor Griffin never plays alongside Paul Skenes. Save for once-in-a-generation talents such as Bryce Harper, it will take several years for any player drafted out of high school to make it to the major leagues. Given the Pirates' struggles with developing talent, this will be the most likely outcome for Griffin. There remains an outside chance that Griffin could be used as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade someday. While he was drafted as a shortstop, he projects more as a center fielder, like top Tigers prospect Max Clark. Griffin, standing 6’4’’, weighing 215 pounds, has 30-30 potential. Were the Pirates right to have chosen him? Only time will tell.