Konnor Griffin gets all the attention but Pirates’ farm depth fuels ranking surge

This time last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system was considered middle of the road, coming in 14th in MLB Pipeline's preseason rankings. By midseason, the Pirates had broken into the top-10 —coming in ninth — thanks in large part to Konnor Griffin's massive pro debut.

Griffin is now the No. 1 prospect in baseball, the favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year, and a primary reason why the Pirates have shot up to No. 3 in the 2026 preseason ranking.

There might be some concern, then, that if Griffin makes the Opening Day roster (or is up soon after) and when Bubba Chandler — one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball — graduates from prospect status, the system might come crashing down.

However, it's not just Griffin and Chandler who are holding the system up. The Pirates have three other Top-100 prospects after the two at the top  — with Seth Hernandez, Edward Florentino, and Hunter Barco making the cut  — and a horde of depth behind the top guys. Graduations of this magnitude would be a hit to any system, but don't expect the Pirates to fall far.

Konnor Griffin and Bubba Chandler get the headlines, but the depth of the Pirates' farm system has driven it to the top of the rankings

Pittsburgh hasn't built a top-heavy system. Instead, the organization has made a series of smart drafting and international signing decisions that have the pipeline well-positioned for both the present and the future.

Looking at the rest of the top-100 guys, you have a guy set for his pro debut in Hernandez, a guy who should be moving on from Single-A Bradenton to High-A Greensboro soon in Florentino, and a guy in Barco who is knocking on the door of the Majors.

Further down, they have some other guys who have turned heads. Esmerlyn Valdez went on an absolute tear in the Arizona Fall League and finished second in OPS with a 1.355 mark in the autumn showcase.

Speaking of the AFL, Tony Blanco Jr. nearly broke Statcast as he took home the AFL Home Run Derby trophy. Now that he's finally healthy, don't be surprised if the Pirates' No. 30 prospect rises up the rankings if he can avoid further injuries.

Offseason acquisition Jhostynxon Garcia further bolsters the depth and could soon be a part of the MLB roster, and a number of other players, both hitters and pitchers, aren't far behind him.

From top-to-bottom, the Pirates' farm has a little bit of everything. There are big arms and big bats. There are under-the-radar guys waiting for a breakout. There are near-MLB-ready role players. And there are incredibly young lottery tickets with extremely high ceilings as well as very low floors.

Having the best prospect in all of baseball certainly helps to put the system on the radar. But as evaluators have paid more and more attention to Griffin, they've found that the Pirates have plenty of diamonds in the rough as well. With that, the future is incredibly bright and the well runs deep.