Pirates' Konnor Griffin is hitting better than first overall pick of his draft class

When the Pittsburgh Pirates took Konnor Griffin ninth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, many had high expectations for the shortstop/center fielder. He was considered to be among the prospects with the highest ceiling in his draft class.

Griffin was sent to A-Ball Bradenton to open the year, and despite still being in just his age-19 season, the talented top prospect is off to an even better start than many thought he’d be.

Griffin is batting .324/.373/.547 with a .422 wOBA and 150 wRC+ throughout his first 154 professional plate appearances. The power Griffin is known for is on full display, as he has blasted seven homers and is putting up a .223 isolated slugging percentage. His baserunning and speed have also been very valuable, with 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts. The only downside of his game has been his plate discipline — a 3.9% walk rate alongside a 26% strikeout percentage.

Griffin has some decent numbers under the hood as well. Despite an unimpressive strikeout rate, his whiff rate is only 25.4%, which is the 26th-lowest among A-Ball batters with at least 100 plate appearances this season. His 91.3 MPH exit velocity ranks seventh at his level. Notably, two other Marauders surpass Griffin in this metric, including Axiel Plaz and Braylon Bishop.

Griffin isn’t just hitting well; he's doing better than many of his fellow top picks from the 2024 draft. The first overall selection, Travis Bazzana, isn’t hitting nearly as well for the Cleveland Guardians’ Double-A affiliate. Colorado Rockies’ third overall pick Charlie Condon has been injured for most of this season, but only has a .565 OPS through his first 131 professional plate appearances. J.J. Wetherholt, who was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals seventh overall, is hitting for plenty of contact, but no power, and isn’t even out-hitting another one of the Pirates’ infield/outfield top prospects, Mitch Jebb, both of whom are at the Double-A level. Christian Moore, who was taken right before Griffin by the LA Angels, also has a sub-.700 OPS at Double-A.

Pirates' Konnor Griffin shaping up to be one of best draft picks from 2024

The only players taken above Griffin who are off to more promising starts in 2025 are Nick Kurtz, who is already in the Major Leagues (albeit struggling); Cam Smith, who is also in the Majors but is doing much better than Kurtz; and Jac Cagliaone, who was drafted as a two-way player. But Griffin is definitely off to a better start than some players taken directly after him, like Seaver King, James Tibbs III, Bryce Rainer, and arguably Braden Montgomery.

If Griffin spends the next few months at Bradenton (which, given his recent production at the plate, it seems like a promotion is in store for him), he’d end up with one of the best offensive seasons from a teenager at A-Ball. Since 2015, only 14 hitters the age of 19 or younger have put up a wRC+ of 150 or greater with at least 300 plate appearances.

Griffin isn’t hitting like the ninth overall pick in the draft; he’s hitting like a first overall selection. He’s a player who could give you a 30/30 season with a Gold Glove at either shortstop or center field in the future. Hopefully, Griffin keeps this sort of production up as he moves through the Pirates’ minor league system. He could end up having one of the youngest Pirates debuts based on his current work.