Guardians' Chase DeLauter breakout is a reminder of what Pirates must do for Konnor Griffin

Konnor Griffin's rookie season was far from bad, though he didn't quite live up to the hype as baseball's No. 1 prospect after getting called up and subsequently signing a nine-figure extension in early April. A .272/.324/.404 slash line with 23 steals and 1.4 fWAR gives him plenty to build on, but his presence alone wasn't enough to get the Pittsburgh Pirates back to October.

Juxtapose that with fellow rookie and top prospect Chase DeLauter, who is currently starring in the Cleveland Guardians' bid for a World Series appearance. After leading his team with a 131 wRC+ in the regular season, he has gotten even better in the playoffs, slashing a ridiculous .346/.452/.538 in his first seven postseason games.

More than the gap in their production, the real story here is what the Guardians have been able to build around DeLauter, compared to the Pirates' fledgling rebuild with Griffin at the forefront.

Pirates must build a roster that removes superstar burden from Konnor Griffin's plate

It's worth keeping in mind that the Guardians weren't a potent offense this year; they finished with a below average 97 wRC+ as a team and ranked 24th in runs scored with 678. Both marks fell well short of the Pirates, yet Cleveland won 85 games compared to Pittsburgh's 82.

Obviously, the difference in quality between the American League and National League played a big part in that win gap, but the reason the Guardians are three wins away from the World Series is because they do so many other things well. Their starters (3.93, ninth) and relievers (3.54, sixth) both ranked in the top 10 in ERA, and they finished with strong grades across the board in Outs Above Average (+11), Fielding Run Value (+14), and Defensive Runs Saved (+16). For good measure, they were also a top-10 baserunning per team, per FanGraphs' baserunning runs above average stat.

It's not that the Pirates weren't also good in those respects — they hit better, were better on the bases, and their pitchers racked up more fWAR — but their roster wasn't nearly cohesive enough to string wins together. In the first half, when the offense was firing on all cylinders, the bullpen was a mess; in the second half, those fortunes flipped.

As the recipient of the largest contract in franchise history, it's more than fair to expect superstardom out of Griffin. It might take him a little while to get there (he's still just 20 years old, after all), but he can carry an offense in the same way DeLauter did with the Guardians this year.

What the Pirates need to do is surround him with a complete collection of talent all over the roster. It's not merely enough to give him a co-star (Oneil Cruz) or two (Brandon Lowe). The front office must make it their mission to ensure that the team around Griffin is reliably good in every aspect of the game, lest they force the young star to try and carry the weight of Pittsburgh baseball on his back.

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