Konnor Griffin's stunning fantasy ranking should put Pirates on notice entering 2027

Konnor Griffin hasn't even completed a full Major League Baseball season, and he's already being mentioned alongside some of the biggest superstars in the game. If that doesn't raise expectations for the Pittsburgh Pirates heading into 2027, nothing will.

In his early fantasy baseball shortstop rankings for 2027, CBS Sports' Scott White ranked Griffin fourth overall, behind only Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz and C.J. Abrams.

That means the Pirates' 20-year-old shortstop is ranked ahead of established stars such as Francisco Lindor, Gunnar Henderson, Corey Seager, Trea Turner and Mookie Betts. It's an extraordinary endorsement for someone whose rookie season was interrupted by injuries, and another reminder that Pittsburgh has a potentially generational talent on its hands.

White acknowledged that ranking Griffin fourth was an aggressive projection, but his reasoning was difficult to dispute. He pointed to Griffin's 12-homer, 40-steal pace as justification for fourth-round fantasy consideration, adding that a significant power breakout in his sophomore season wouldn't be particularly surprising given his physical tools.

Griffin finished his rookie campaign batting .272 with six home runs and 23 stolen bases across 80 games. Those numbers might not immediately scream superstar, but the fact that he produced them at age 20 while navigating two injury-related interruptions makes his potential considerably more exciting.

Griffin can undoubtedly become one of baseball's best shortstops. The question now is whether the Pirates are prepared to take advantage of his emergence.

Konnor Griffin is already being ranked among MLB's elite, and Pirates can't afford to waste him

Pittsburgh finished 82-80 in 2026, securing its first winning season since 2018 but falling short of the postseason for an 11th consecutive year. That's progress, technically, but the organization has spent long enough selling fans on the promise of its young core.

That core is no longer entirely hypothetical. The Pirates already have Paul Skenes anchoring their rotation, with Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft providing additional upside. Griffin gives them an emerging franchise cornerstone on the position-player side, and his early fantasy ranking suggests expectations for his second season are already sky-high.

Yet Pittsburgh enters another offseason facing familiar questions about its willingness to build a complete roster around that talent. Brandon Lowe, who led the Pirates with 35 home runs and 96 RBI in 2026, is approaching free agency. His potential departure would leave a significant hole in the lineup, and the Pirates cannot reasonably expect Griffin's anticipated improvement to compensate for losing one of their most productive veterans.

That's the danger of treating every emerging young star as another reason to remain patient. Griffin's upside should be an incentive for ownership and general manager Ben Cherington to invest aggressively this winter, not an excuse to rely on internal development to solve every remaining weakness.

Fantasy rankings aren't guarantees of future production, and Griffin still has plenty to prove at the major-league level. But when a respected national analyst already considers him a top-four option at one of baseball's most talented positions, it's difficult to argue that Pittsburgh needs more time to determine whether its competitive window is approaching.

The Pirates have spent years waiting for players like Konnor Griffin to arrive. Now that he's here, it's time to start building a team worthy of him.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow