Pirates may already have baseball’s next No. 1 prospect waiting once Konnor Griffin graduates

Each year there seems to be another standout prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates' system zooming through the minors at a break-neck pace. Paul Skenes, Konnor Griffin, and (to a lesser extent) Bubba Chandler have turned heads and topped prospect lists. Now, their latest rising star has an outside chance of making history.

Since MLB Pipeline began ranking prospects in 2004, only one team, the Baltimore Orioles, has registered back-to-back No. 1 prospects (Gunnar Henderson in 2023 and Jackson Holliday in ‘24). Just four of the 23 selections have been pitchers, and one of those was Shohei Ohtani, who frankly should have his own category.

Pirates farmhand Seth Hernandez, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in 2025, is hoping to change all that, and at least according to MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo, Hernandez has a shot at jumping to the top of the midseason prospect leaderboard.

The heir apparent to Konnor Griffin as the No. 1 prospect in baseball could be a Pirates pitching phenom

Hernandez’s inclusion among the potential candidates for the top prospect slot should come as no surprise to Pirates fans. He was widely regarded as the most promising arm in last year’s draft class, and Pittsburgh committed a record sum to dissuading him from enrolling at Vanderbilt.

Since then, he has been as good as advertised… perhaps even better. In the Spring Breakout Game in March, Hernandez stunned fellow No. 1 prospect candidate Max Clark with a 102.4 mph fastball.

And it isn’t just about velocity with Hernandez. He has had pinpoint command in his first four pro starts at Class A Bradenton. He has a 0.529 WHIP over 17 innings featuring 32 strikeouts against five walks.

Hernandez is still getting stretched out and building up his stamina; he has maxed out at five innings and 68 pitches. Conservative estimates give the 19-year-old at least two full seasons until he cracks the big-league roster.

Still, Hernandez already ranks at No. 24 on MLB Pipeline’s preseason Top 100. If he continues to dominate and successfully makes a jump to the next rung of the minor league ladder, he could at least be in the conversation for the Top 5.

Regardless of whether he takes the crown from Griffin when the Pirates shortstop graduates from prospect status, Hernandez is destined to be another important piece in the bright future in Pittsburgh.

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