Pirates' leader of Konnor Griffin draft creates huge void after leaving for Nationals

News broke last week that Pittsburgh Pirates director of amateur scouting Justin Horowitz planned to leave the organization to take a job with the Washington Nationals as an assistant general manager. His departure marks a major blow to Pittsburgh’s front office, especially when it comes to their draft strategy and long-term talent pipeline.

Horowitz joined the Pirates two years ago from the Boston Red Sox and oversaw the last two drafts. In 2024, under his oversight, the Pirates selected Konnor Griffin with the ninth overall pick. Griffin went on to play at three levels in his first year of pro ball, hitting .333 with 21 homers, 94 RBI, a .941 OPS and 65 stolen bases in 122 games to finish the season as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball. This past draft, Pittsburgh selected prep right-hander Seth Hernandez, who is ranked as the their third-best prospect.

The loss of Horowitz comes just after two strong drafts. Momentum matters, and converting high picks into high performers requires consistency. A change in leadership could slow or stall that flow. With Pittsburgh needing to keep drafting well to compete, this change couldn’t come at a worse moment.

Justin Horowitz's departure threatens to disrupt Pirates' draft strategy after 2 strong classes

MLB Pipeline moved the Pirates’ farm system ranking from 20th to ninth over this period, largely thanks to the drafts Horowitz oversaw. This showed that he was not just an administrator, but someone who was executing a positive draft-and-development strategy. Losing him raises the risk of regression, which would hamper the Pirates’ contention timeline.

Drafting well is about more than single picks; it’s about scouting processes, talent pipelines, draft board construction and follow-through. Horowitz built that system in a very short time with Pittsburgh, and losing someone who played a key role in both identifying talent and implementing the amateur-scouting strategy means a disruption to that infrastructure.

It's no secret that the Pirates don’t have the budget of giants; their path to contention leans heavily on drafts, developing internal talent, and getting value out of picks. An amateur scouting director is one of the most consequential hires in that model. Horowitz was the one architecting that piece for Pittsburgh, and his departure creates a vulnerability in a cornerstone strategy.

Without Horowitz, the Pirates have to search for a new Director of Amateur Scouting – which means either promoting from within or hiring externally. Both paths carry risk in a situation that is especially delicate while the Pirates are in a window where their recent high-draft picks need supplementary talent to support them.

The departure of Horowitz is more than just a staffing change in Pittsburgh. It undercuts one of the Pirates’ most critical strategic advantages: drafting and developing their own talent. For a team like Pittsburgh, where resources are tighter and internal talent must fuel future success, losing the architect of two strong drafts means an increased risk in upcoming draft classes and a potential disruption to the scouting and evaluation timeline.

If the Pirates want to maintain their upward trajectory, they’ll need to move quickly to fill the void, reaffirm their draft philosophy and ensure that the recent gains aren’t lost.